The family of Dr. Jane Wu, an esteemed Chinese American neuroscientist, has publicly voiced concerns for the first time, alleging that Northwestern University engaged in discriminatory practices, retaliation, and mistreatment that they claim contributed to her decision to end her life.

The family are now suing the institution that once championed her work, alleging it helped destroy both her career and her spirit.

Dr. Wu, age 60, who was a naturalized U.S. citizen and had been a long-standing faculty member at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, passed away in mid-2024. Her death followed the closure of her research lab due to a federal inquiry involving foreign affiliations, part of a larger governmental effort that disproportionately targeted researchers of Chinese descent.

During the investigation, Wu was never formally accused of misconduct. Nonetheless, the university began to curtail her professional activities, gradually reducing her influence as the investigation proceeded.

Now, as the one-year anniversary of her death approaches, her daughter, Elizabeth Rao, is publicly demanding answers. 

‘As painful as it is for us as her family to recount how Northwestern treated her, we are seeking justice to prevent this from happening again to others in the future,’ Rao said to NBC News. 

Wu spent nearly four decades in neuroscience, including almost 20 years at Northwestern. 

Her lab focused on tumor development, metastasis, and neurodegenerative diseases – research that had brought in significant federal funding, according to the family’s lawsuit, filed last month.

Her daughter also said how she a devoted mother and music lover who found joy in everything from Taiwanese pop icon Teresa Teng to country star Tanya Tucker.

Yet in 2019 Wu became one of hundreds of US-based scientists investigated by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for alleged foreign influence – part of a sweeping national security campaign that has since drawn accusations of racial profiling. 

NIH Deputy Director Dr. Michael Lauer later defended the program stating, ‘This is not xenophobic racism, this is not targeting and this is not stigma. This is real theft.’

In Wu’s case, her family said, there was ‘no evidence of wrongdoing’, yet despite that, Northwestern allegedly continued to punish her. 

‘NU did nothing to support her nor help lift the racial stigma placed over Dr. Wu despite her obvious innocence and the enormous funding her work had brought to NU,’ the lawsuit states.

Wu was left in professional limbo. Her family says that once the probe concluded in 2023 with no evidence of wrongdoing, instead of restoring her status, the university intensified its restrictions.

The suit accuses Northwestern of systematically dismantling Wu’s professional standing – limiting her research, reassigning her grants to white male colleagues, and isolating her from her team. 

The dean of the medical school slashed her salary and imposed new requirements to reinstate her funded status. Her team was broken up and her lab space diminished. Her grants were reassigned. Her legacy, her family says, dismantled piece by piece.

After the university abruptly shut down her lab without explanation in May 2024, the emotional toll was devastating, the complaint says.

According to the suit, Wu suffered a stress-induced stroke that damaged her vision.

Still able to work, she clung to her research, but Northwestern allegedly used her emotional state as a ‘pretext’ to evict her. 

That same month, acting on the university’s orders, police officers entered her campus office. 

Wu was handcuffed, forcibly removed, and involuntarily committed to Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s psychiatric unit without notice to her family or consultation with outside physicians, the suit claims.

‘The physical assault directed by NU and the forced hospitalization sent Dr. Wu into a severe state of shock,’ the lawsuit states. 

Two weeks after her release, she died by suicide.

In a statement Northwestern said it was ‘deeply saddened’ by her death but ‘vehemently denies’ the allegations. 

The school added it plans to file a motion to dismiss the case by early September and has declined to comment further.

Wu’s death is now being cited by advocacy groups as a chilling example of the fallout from what they describe as discriminatory federal scrutiny of Chinese American scientists.

The NIH acknowledged in December 2024 that its efforts had created ‘a difficult climate for our valued Asian American, Asian immigrant and Asian research colleagues who may feel targeted and alienated.’

Gisela Perez Kusakawa, executive director of the Asian American Scholar Forum, issued a statement condemning the university’s alleged actions. 

‘Universities must be places of community, support, and fairness, not fear and coercion,’ she said.

Beyond the legal battle, Wu’s daughter wants the public to remember her mother as more than just a brilliant scientist. 

‘She made sure that my brother and I had got not only a great education but also got to do all the stuff of a quintessential American childhood,’ Rao recalled. ‘Sports, road trips, dance classes, choir, you name it.’ 

Rao told of a home life filled with movie nights, road trips, and singalongs, in stark  contrast to the ‘tiger mom’ stereotype. 

‘She turned simple houses into warm homes,’ Rao said, adding how the family are determined to shine a light on what happened – not just for justice, but to ensure other scientists don’t meet the same fate.

‘We carry this with us: her upstanding morals and conviction to fight against injustice,’ she said.

The lawsuit is still in early stages but seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages. 

For Rao, it’s not just about financial redress but vindicating her mother’s name, her legacy, and the thousands of scientists like her who may suffer in silence.

If you or someone you know is struggling or in crisis, the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline offers 24/7, free and confidential support at 988 or by texting 988.