NATHAN WEI

NATHAN WEI, M.D. (Age 68) Of Laytonsville, Maryland, passed away on March 27, 2018 at Georgetown University Hospital after a brave battle with gastric cancer. He was born on August 10, 1949 in New York City to Peter and Pearl Wei, recent immigrants from China. Dr. Wei was a 1971 graduate of Swarthmore College and a 1975 graduate of Jefferson Medical College. After an internship in Medicine at Blodgett Memorial Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, he pursued a residency in Diagnostic Radiology at the University of Michigan Medical Center in Ann Arbor, where he also completed his Internal Medicine residency. He then took up a fellowship as a clinical associate at the National Institute of Arthritis, Metabolism, and Digestive Diseases at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda. After completing his Rheumatology training in 1981, he opened a private practice in Frederick, Maryland, where he worked for 37 years until his retirement in December 2017. Dr. Wei served as a clinical assistant professor at the University of Maryland School of Medicine. He participated in more than 200 clinical trials for arthritis treatments and medications. Dr. Wei is known for his many contributions to the development of interventional rheumatology, including arthroscopy, stem cells, and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) for the treatment of osteoarthritis. He published extensively in medical and arthritis publications and lectured internationally. Dr. Wei was a teacher and a mentor, opening his practice to a countless number of medical students and colleagues. A strong believer in the importance of patient education, he self-produced innumerable online videos, cultivating a sizable following. When he received his diagnosis and found himself in the role of patient, he took it as a learning opportunity. Dr. Wei shared 34 years of marriage with his wife, Judy Hearst. Together they raised four children: Becky Piper (Jack), Jeffrey, Benji (Megan) and Emily. He is also survived by siblings, Wesley, Esther, and Deborah; a labradoodle named Mei Mei and numerous additional family members. Some of his happiest times were spent on family vacations, in particular a recent trip to the Turks and Caicos Islands in January 2018, just two months prior to his death. He loved to share his favorite activities, including fishing, sailing, snorkeling, and snowboarding, as well as fine food and wine. His cooking skills were beyond compare, especially his exceptional barbecue chicken. An avid fitness enthusiast, he recently completed his personal training certification with the American College of Sports Medicine. In lieu of flowers, donations in Nathan Wei's memory may be made to the Pearl Wei Memorial Scholarship Fund at Jefferson. Mail to: Office of Institutional Advancement, Attn: Colleen Gross,125 South 9th Street, Suite 600, Philadelphia, PA 19107, or donate online: giving.Jefferson.edu. Donations may also be made to the Ruesch Center for the Cure of Gastrointestinal Cancers at Georgetown University: ruesch.georgetown.edu A celebration of his life is planned for a later date. Please view and sign the family's online guestbook at: www.pumphreyfuneralhome.comwww.pumphreyfuneralhome.com