On March 12, 2024, Tsinghua Medicine held the 2024 Insight Scholarship Award Ceremony to recognize outstanding doctoral students for their exceptional contributions to medical research. The event, hosted by Executive Vice-Chancellor Prof Qi Hai, featured remarks from Vice-Chancellor Chen Xuyan, who underscored the importance of scientific innovation and encouraged young researchers to pursue excellence in their fields.

Qi Hai hosted the award ceremony.

Chen Xuyan delivered a speech.

Prof Zhang Jingren announced this year’s award recipients:

Zhang Jingren announced the list of awardees.

·Li Yi (PhD candidate, Class of 2020) – Tumor Immunotherapy: Developed a novel functional screening platform for identifing specific antibodies targeting tumor neoantigens and explored antibody-based T cell immunotherapies, paving the way for more precise cancer treatments.

·Ma Shaoqian (Direct PhD candidate, Class of 2021) – Single-Cell Nascent Transcriptomics: Proposed an innovative theory on stochastic transcription and developed a method to quantify genome-wide transcription activity.

·Wu Hua (PhD candidate, Class of 2022) – Stem Cells & Embryonic Models: Pioneered a small-molecule reprogramming technique to reconstruct embryos in vitro, providing new models for studying embryonic development and congenital disorders.

Awarded students: Li Yi (left), Wu Hua (center), Ma Shaoqian (right)

"Luck is like the wind blowing toward us in waves." Speaking on behalf of the awardees, Ma Shaoqian echoed this sentiment, conveying her gratitude to the university and faculty while demonstrating her passion for advancing medical science. Reflecting on the early challenges of her PhD journey—feeling lost, lacking expertise, and questioning the value of her work—she persevered through extensive reading and interdisciplinary exploration. Inspired by the quote, “Know everything about something, know something about everything,” she embraced curiosity, cultivated a unique scientific perspective, and emphasized the importance of stepping out of comfort zones and seizing opportunities.

Scholarship donor representative Gong Rui congratulated the awardees and encouraged them to set ambitious goals, uphold the highest standards of research, and make meaningful contributions to society through scientific discovery.

Ms. Gong Rui delivered a speech.

Established in 2023, the Insight Scholarship at Tsinghua Medicine aims to foster the next generation of medical scientists by recognizing doctoral students with outstanding research contributions in basic and clinical medicine. Funded through private donations, the scholarship awards 3–5 students annually, prioritizing research excellence in disease mechanisms, diagnostics, treatment, and foundational medical sciences.

Group photo