UCSD Alumni Announces 2012 Alumni Honorees

Annual Alumni Celebration recognizes alumni achievements; recipients will be honored during Alumni Weekend May 31-June 3

Five distinguished alumni and supporters of the University of California, San Diego will be honored at the university’s annual Alumni Celebration to be hosted June 2.

This year’s scroll of honorees range from a game-changing scientist who has created innovative drugs, to an angel investor who has been the driving force for the Rady School of Management, to a National Geographic star explorer, to a couple whose philanthropy has deeply impacted the university community.

Dr. William A. Lee

The following individuals will be recognized during the 2012 celebration:

• Outstanding Alumnus, Dr. William A. Lee, M.A. ’79, Ph.D. ’82
  Dr. William A. Lee is senior vice president, research and pharmaceutical development, at Gilead Sciences, the second largest research-based biopharmaceutical company in the world. He has more than 20 years of research and product development experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is co-inventor of Roche’s Cellcept, a drug prescribed to patients who have kidney, heart or liver transplants. Lee also led Gilead’s efforts in HIV research, drug therapy and discovery, and holds several other patents as a co-inventor.

Jan Tuttleman

• Distinguished Leadership, Jan Tuttleman, M.B.A. ’06
  Jan Tuttleman is the former vice president of marketing for Huya Bioscience International, and a business development and licensing consultant for Progenetor, Inc. She has been an angel investor in early stage life science companies in San Diego and has devoted significant time and resources to UC San Diego’s Rady School of Management, where she currently serves on its Dean’s Advisory Council. She led Rady’s 2006 Class Campaign effort in raising $250,000 and has been a generous contributor to the school ever since graduation, including establishing the Michael Kriegler Endowed Lectureship and Graduate Fellowship in memory of her late husband. 

Albert Yu-Min Lin

• Emerging Leader, Albert Yu-Min Lin, B.S. ’04, M.S. ’05, Ph.D. ’08
  Albert Yu-Min Lin is a research scientist at the UC San Diego division of the California Institute for Telecommunications and Information Technology (Calit2) and an Emerging Explorer of the National Geographic Society in the field of technology-enabled exploration. He is currently involved in a major international multidisciplinary effort known as “The Search for Genghis Khan.” Lin and his team have conducted several expeditions in Mongolia, and have zeroed in on what they believe may indeed be the last resting place of Genghis Khan.

Darcy and Robert Bingham

• Honorary Alumni, Darcy and Robert Bingham
  Darcy and Robert Bingham established the Darcy and Robert Bingham Endowed Scholarship, which supports UC San Diego undergraduate students who work while attending school. Darcy’s dedication to service has especially impacted the campus community. A self-proclaimed “philanthropreneur,” she is passionate about combining her entrepreneurial knowledge and philanthropic spirit to create new opportunities and ways of giving back to the university. While serving as director of operations in UC San Diego’s department of recreation, and chair of the UCSD Staff Association, Bingham was one of several strategic organizers of the first Chancellor’s Challenge 5K Run/Walk for Scholars, now an annual event that has raised more than $2 million, providing scholarships for more than 800 students over the last 14 years.

These award celebrations continue UCSD Alumni’s tradition of honoring outstanding alumni and supporters who have exemplified the commitment to leadership, advocacy, philanthropy and service to UC San Diego.

Lee, Tuttleman, Lin and the Binghams will all be recognized at the 34th annual Alumni Celebration on Saturday, June 2, during the fourth annual Alumni Weekend. The Alumni Celebration is open to the public, with proceeds benefiting the UC San Diego Invent the Future student support campaign.  For award recipient and event details, please visit www.alumni.ucsd.edu/awards or call (858) 534-3900. Information about Alumni Weekend, May 31-June 3, can be accessed at www.alumni.ucsd.edu/alumniweekend.