Thomas T.H. Wan, Ph.D. left VCU 21 years ago, but he’s never forgotten his roots.

Wan, who served on VCU Health Administration faculty from 1981 to 2003 and as chair from 1990 to 1999, established a scholarship this year for incoming students to the department’s Ph.D. in Health Services Organization and Research (HSOR) program. Wan played a pivotal role in launching the doctoral program in 1982. 

Under his leadership, the Ph.D. program grew from an inaugural class of three students to become a globally recognized initiative.

This summer, Wan and his wife pledged $100,000 to create the Thomas and Sylvia Wan Ph.D. Student Scholarship. “To continue to pursue excellence in training and research, we need to continue to build a foundation that is current with the trends to attract the best students in the world,” he said. “Supporting and recruiting students is expensive, so with this support, we can maintain our quality of education by attracting the top students worldwide.”

VCU Health Administration’s Ph.D. Program in Health Services Organization and Research (HSOR) integrates a transdisciplinary approach to health-organization research. The program’s curriculum is designed to equip students with skills to address complex challenges in healthcare systems (versus Health Administration’s focus on management). Graduates have gone on to hold prestigious positions in both academic and operational roles, including deans of public health schools and leaders of healthcare organizations.

“Dr. and Mrs. Wan’s generosity is an incredible testament to their commitment to doctoral education, and the future of both health services organization research and the education and training of health administration academics,” said Laura E. McClelland, Ph.D., associate professor and director of the HSOR program. “We are so grateful for a truly transformative gift that will be the first step towards sustainable funding of this remarkable program. We hope the scholarship inspires others to honor the impact Dr. Wan has made in the lives of so many HSOR alumni by supporting our program.”

The Wan scholarship comes as part of VCU’s ongoing efforts to remain competitive on a national scale; VCU Health Administration is ranked the No. 3 health care management program in the nation, according to U.S. News & World Report. Wan said Ph.D. training is essential to the university’s high ranking among health research institutions, and continued alumni support is necessary to sustain the standing.

“The Wan scholarship is the first Ph.D.-focused scholarship that we have in the department, and it is a gift to students that really came from Tom’s desire to help and is a reflection of the kind of impact he made at VCU when he was chair,” said Paula H. Song, the Richard M. Bracken chair and professor of VCU Health Administration. “Ph.D. funding is incredibly important when it comes to attracting students, who are giving up full-time work to pursue their academic goals. Scholarships allow students to focus on their own research and make progress towards completing their doctoral degree.”

By Jeff Kelley