On June 16th, 2021, Jiefei Tong passed away in the comfort of Hill House Hospice in Richmond Hill at the age of 57. He passed peacefully surrounded by family following a lengthy battle with lung cancer. He will be lovingly remembered by his wife of 31 years, Hui Chen; children: Lili Tong and Ellen Tong; and friends from around the world.

Jiefei immigrated to Canada in 1994 to start a new life for his family. He obtained a PhD from the University of Toronto in 1999. Since then, he has dedicated his career to research working first at Dr. Tony Pawson’s laboratory in Mount Sinai, then Purdue Pharma in New Jersey . He then continued his career at the Peter Gilgan Centre for Research and Learning from 2004 to 2020 under Dr. Michael Moran, a lifelong friend and companion.

Jiefei was always kind, motivated, and willing to help anyone and everyone at a moment’s notice. He is remembered by many for his smile and generosity. Most of all, he was proud of his family, the fulfilling life they built together in Toronto, and the accomplishments of his two daughters as he watched them grow.

Due to the nature of COVID-19 restrictions, a private service and visitation will be held in commemoration of his life. The memorial service’s live stream will be available on June 26th at 9:50am.

Our family wishes to send a special thank you to the staff at Hill House Hospice and Princess Margaret Hospital for their unending care and compassion. We have set up the donation to PMCC at https://gofund.me/db13743e or Hill House Hospice at https://gofund.me/2d007eeb.

Zoom Meeting link (please use this link only if the livestream is not working)
Topic: Celebrating Jiefei Tong
Time: Jun 26, 2021 10:00 AM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting: https://utoronto.zoom.us/j/88160524093
Meeting ID: 881 6052 4093
Passcode: 241195