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1
SENATE RESOLUTION

 
2    WHEREAS, The members of the Illinois Senate are saddened to
3learn of the death of Dr. Donald Liu and wish to honor him for
4his great act of heroism in saving 2 boys from drowning on
5August 5, 2012; and
 
6    WHEREAS, Dr. Donald Liu was born on June 12, 1962, in New
7York, and grew up in Taiwan; and
 
8    WHEREAS, Dr. Donald Liu attended Johns Hopkins University
9in Baltimore, where he graduated with honors in 1984 and earned
10his bachelor's degree in natural sciences; in 1990, he earned
11his medical degree with high honors and his Ph.D. in immunology
12from Jefferson Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University
13in Philadelphia; he later completed his internship and
14residency in general surgery at the Hospital of the University
15of Pennsylvania in 1995, followed by a 2-year fellowship in
16pediatric surgery at the University of Michigan C.S. Mott
17Children's Hospital; and
 
18    WHEREAS, Dr. Donald Liu was internationally recognized for
19his expertise in applying and adapting the techniques of
20minimally invasive surgery to children; he served as an
21assistant professor of surgery at the Louisiana State
22University School of Medicine's Children's Hospital of New

 

 

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1Orleans from 1997 to 2001; in 2001, he joined the University of
2Chicago's Department of Surgery as a pediatric surgeon; in
32007, he was named section chief of pediatric surgery and
4surgeon-in-chief at Comer Children's Hospital; and
 
5    WHEREAS, During his career, Dr. Donald Liu developed
6innovative approaches to the treatment of numerous chronic
7abdominal pain syndromes in children, including median arcuate
8ligament syndrome (MALS), a little-known and under-diagnosed
9disorder; he was also a researcher of numerous medical topics,
10including Hirschsprung's disease, the pathogenesis of
11necrotizing enterocolitis, and the importance of gut bacteria
12in health and disease; and
 
13    WHEREAS, Dr. Donald Liu was a prolific scholar and the
14author or co-author of more than 70 research publications and 8
15book chapters dealing principally with minimally invasive
16surgery, the human microbiome, and the surgical treatment of
17intestinal disease; he lectured around the world, especially in
18China, and contributed to 7 instructional films for various
19surgical societies; he also served as the principal
20investigator for multiple clinical trials and for 2 large
21grants from the National Institutes of Health; and
 
22    WHEREAS, During his career, Dr. Donald Liu helped to
23develop a formal affiliation between the University of

 

 

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1Chicago's Comer Children's Hospital and the Shanghai
2Children's Medical Center through Project Hope, a
3collaborative effort that helped to train several
4international fellows who have gone on to become institutional
5leaders in China; as a result, he was honored with an endowed
6chair at Jiao Tong University/Shanghai Second Medical College
7and was given a grant and the "1000-Person Distinction" award
8by the Shanghai government, which recognizes collaborative
9clinical, research, and educational efforts; and
 
10    WHEREAS, Dr. Donald Liu was the recipient of numerous
11honors, including teaching awards from the University of
12Pennsylvania, the Children's Hospital of New Orleans, and the
13University of Chicago, where he recently won the Distinguished
14Senior Clinician Award; he was also routinely selected for
15local and national lists of top doctors, including Chicago
16Magazine in 2012; and
 
17    WHEREAS, On August 5, 2012, two 12-year-old boys were
18kayaking in Lake Michigan when they were knocked out of the
19kayak by heavy waves and began to struggle in the choppy water;
20seeing that the children were in trouble, Dr. Donald Liu
21immediately went out into the water to help them; thanks to Dr.
22Liu's great bravery and quick thinking, the children made it to
23shore; tragically, Dr. Liu was swept away by the rip current
24and passed away; and
 

 

 

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1    WHEREAS, Dr. Donald Liu is survived by his loving wife,
2Dana Suskind; his children, Genevieve, Asher, and Amelie; and
3his sister, Diana Liu; therefore, be it
 
4    RESOLVED, BY THE SENATE OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL
5ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we mourn, along with
6his family and friends, the passing of Dr. Donald Liu; and be
7it further
 
8    RESOLVED, That we honor his great bravery and willingness
9to save lives at the cost of his own; and be it further
 
10    RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be
11presented to the family of Dr. Donald Liu as an expression of
12our sympathy.