International Society of Andrology
ISA - Global Leader in Male Reproductive Health
In Memoriam: Christina Chung-Lun Wang, MD, Past President of the International Society of Andrology
It is with profound sadness that the International Society of Andrology mourns the passing of Dr. Christina Wang, a past president of our Society and one of the towering figures in the history of our field. Dr. Wang passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, after facing a serious illness with the same strength and optimism that defined her life and career.
Born in Nanjing, China, Dr. Wang received her medical degree from the University of Hong Kong and completed her postgraduate training in medicine and endocrinology in Hong Kong and Australia. She rose to Professor of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong before moving to Los Angeles in 1989. In 1993 she joined Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she would spend more than three decades as a faculty member and leader, holding senior appointments across Harbor-UCLA, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and The Lundquist Institute.
Dr. Wang was an internationally recognized authority on male reproductive medicine. Her research transformed the field: she led pioneering efforts to develop safe, effective, and reversible hormonal male contraception, advanced the science of androgen replacement therapy and the treatment of male hypogonadism, and helped establish the laboratory standards that andrologists rely on worldwide. As Chairperson of the World Health Organization's Task Force on Methods for the Regulation of Male Fertility from 1991 to 2002, she designed landmark multicenter trials. She also served on the editorial group of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen — the gold standard for andrology laboratories the world over — from its first edition in 1980 through its sixth edition in 2021. Over the course of her career she authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and 70 chapters and reviews.
Her service to our scientific community was equally distinguished. Dr. Wang served the International Society of Andrology in numerous capacities over many years, including as Secretary and Chair of the Program Organizing Committee, before serving as President of the ISA from 2009 to 2013. She was also a past President of the American Society of Andrology from 2006 to 2007, which recognized her contributions with its premier awards: the Distinguished Service Award in 2011 and the Distinguished Andrologist Award in 2013.
Yet those who knew Dr. Wang will remember her as much for her character as for her accomplishments. She was a generous and devoted mentor who shaped the careers of countless trainees, junior faculty, and colleagues across the globe. She gave freely of her time, her wisdom, and her encouragement, and she championed opportunities for women and early-career investigators throughout her life. Those fortunate enough to have worked alongside her remember her boundless energy, her uncommon brilliance, and above all her warmth. She was, quite simply, irreplaceable.
The International Society of Andrology extends its heartfelt condolences to Dr. Wang's husband and lifelong research partner, Dr. Ronald S. Swerdloff, and to her entire family. Her legacy will endure in the science she advanced, the institutions she built, and the many lives and careers she touched. She will be deeply missed.
In Memoriam: Christina Chung-Lun Wang, MD, Past President of the International Society of Andrology
It is with profound sadness that the International Society of Andrology mourns the passing of Dr. Christina Wang, a past president of our Society and one of the towering figures in the history of our field. Dr. Wang passed away peacefully, surrounded by her family, after facing a serious illness with the same strength and optimism that defined her life and career.
Born in Nanjing, China, Dr. Wang received her medical degree from the University of Hong Kong and completed her postgraduate training in medicine and endocrinology in Hong Kong and Australia. She rose to Professor of Medicine at the University of Hong Kong before moving to Los Angeles in 1989. In 1993 she joined Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, where she would spend more than three decades as a faculty member and leader, holding senior appointments across Harbor-UCLA, the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, and The Lundquist Institute.
Dr. Wang was an internationally recognized authority on male reproductive medicine. Her research transformed the field: she led pioneering efforts to develop safe, effective, and reversible hormonal male contraception, advanced the science of androgen replacement therapy and the treatment of male hypogonadism, and helped establish the laboratory standards that andrologists rely on worldwide. As Chairperson of the World Health Organization's Task Force on Methods for the Regulation of Male Fertility from 1991 to 2002, she designed landmark multicenter trials. She also served on the editorial group of the WHO Laboratory Manual for the Examination of Human Semen — the gold standard for andrology laboratories the world over — from its first edition in 1980 through its sixth edition in 2021. Over the course of her career she authored more than 350 peer-reviewed publications and 70 chapters and reviews.
Her service to our scientific community was equally distinguished. Dr. Wang served the International Society of Andrology in numerous capacities over many years, including as Secretary and Chair of the Program Organizing Committee, before serving as President of the ISA from 2009 to 2013. She was also a past President of the American Society of Andrology from 2006 to 2007, which recognized her contributions with its premier awards: the Distinguished Service Award in 2011 and the Distinguished Andrologist Award in 2013.
Yet those who knew Dr. Wang will remember her as much for her character as for her accomplishments. She was a generous and devoted mentor who shaped the careers of countless trainees, junior faculty, and colleagues across the globe. She gave freely of her time, her wisdom, and her encouragement, and she championed opportunities for women and early-career investigators throughout her life. Those fortunate enough to have worked alongside her remember her boundless energy, her uncommon brilliance, and above all her warmth. She was, quite simply, irreplaceable.
The International Society of Andrology extends its heartfelt condolences to Dr. Wang's husband and lifelong research partner, Dr. Ronald S. Swerdloff, and to her entire family. Her legacy will endure in the science she advanced, the institutions she built, and the many lives and careers she touched. She will be deeply missed.