Cal State LA has unveiled a plaque honoring the late Rongxiang Xu and his major contributions as a surgeon, expert in regenerative medicine, and humanitarian.

President Berenecea Johnson Eanes and Xu’s widow, Li Li, and son, Kevin Xu, pulled the cover off the head bas-relief plaque, located on the ground floor of the bioscience building named after the elder Xu, on Friday, Feb. 28. The audience consisted of leaders from Cal State LA and MEBO International, the multi-national company founded by Rongxiang Xu.

In her welcoming remarks, President Eanes expressed gratitude for the strong bond between Cal State LA and the Xu family, which in the last decade has led to the naming of the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services and the Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center.

“Today we celebrate this contribution to our space at Cal State LA,” Eanes said. “We are so excited to acknowledge the gifts of the Xu family.”

The family, along with the National Rongxiang Xu Foundation, has been instrumental in raising Cal State LA’s profile locally and nationally.

In 2016, the family gifted the university $10 million, the largest in Cal State LA’s history, and the Rongxiang Xu College of Health and Human Services became the university’s first named college. Five years later, the Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center opened to make Cal State LA an anchor for the thriving bioscience corridor in East and Northeast LA.

The unveiling of the plaque coincided with Xu’s birthday, who would have turned 67 this year.

“Honestly, I didn’t really get a chance to spend time with my father for his birthday before,” Kevin Xu said. “He was focused on his work, his research, his career, but I know that all he really wished was for the betterment of humanity.”

Kevin Xu, who previously served on the Cal State LA President’s Council, and Li were awarded with the University’s Presidential Medallion during the 2016 Commencement ceremony.

Kevin Xu said his father’s humanitarian efforts now continue through the bioscience innovation center.

“I believe, no matter where he is now, all he really cared about is how we can participate, be involved in helping others,” Kevin Xu said. “I know our collaboration and partnership with Cal State LA will always be for the betterment of people, not only in Los Angeles, but for people around the world.”

The 20,000-square-foot Rongxiang Xu Bioscience Innovation Center can support up to 30 incubator firms with wet lab and dry lab space, coworking areas, and multi-use classrooms.

Howard Xu (no relation), director of incubator development and programming, said the center has supported nearly 20 startup companies since 2021, with several having “graduated” and successfully moved to larger facilities. He said the center recently welcomed three new companies.

“We’re always giving tools to potential tenants,” he said. “We look forward to supporting more startups from Los Angeles.”

Rongxiang Xu was a renowned surgeon whose research established new therapy for serious burn injuries that saved lives, revolutionized wound therapy, and improved the quality of life for patients around the world.

The plaque provides details of his work, reading in part: “Dr. Xu witnessed the pain and scarring of burn patients treated with conventional therapy and was determined to discover a more effective, less painful approach. He developed a new therapy for burns that helped to restore the physiological structure and function of the skin and other tissues, thereby dramatically reducing pain, illness, and death.”

His research in tissue repair and regeneration led to multiple U.S. patents and the growth of MEBO International.

His scientific achievements were acknowledged by Presidents Barack Obama, Bill Clinton, and George H.W. Bush. The Chinese government has also honored Xu with a commemorative stamp with his image.

Photo: Kevin Xu and Li Li’s support of Cal State LA has been instrumental in raising the university’s profile locally and nationally. (Credit: Jordan Renville/Cal State LA)

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California State University, Los Angeles is the premier comprehensive public university in the heart of Los Angeles. Cal State LA is ranked number one in the United States for the upward mobility of its students. Cal State LA is dedicated to engagement, service, and the public good, offering nationally recognized programs in science, the arts, business, criminal justice, engineering, nursing, education, and the humanities. Founded in 1947, the University serves more than 24,000 students and has more than 250,000 distinguished alumni.