Journey of a Thousand Miles : an Extraordinary Life /
Dr. Ruey J. Yu with Kate Jaimet ; with a foreword by Eugene J. Van Scott, and an afterword by Scott Simon.
- 1st ed.
- Ottawa : University of Ottawa Press, 2017.
- x, 164 p. : ill. (some col.), portraits ; 23 cm.
- Biographies and memoirs .
Available in print and electronic format.
"This is the inspiring rags-to-riches story of a Taiwanese youngster, Ruey Yu, born into a ravaged and occupied country, who went on to co-found and build a multi-million-dollar American skin care empire: NeoStrata. Born into poverty in Japanese-occupied Taiwan, Ruey Yu overcame near-starvation during the Second World War. Destiny, however, had other plans for him: he was to become an award-winning biochemist. After living through the Second World War and the post-war military dictatorship of General Chiang Kai-Shek, Dr. Yu won a coveted post-graduate scholarship to study chemistry at the University of Ottawa. He subsequently took up a research position at the renowned Skin and Cancer Hospital (Temple University) in Philadelphia, where he collaborated with pre-eminent dermatologist Dr. Eugene Van Scott to develop treatments for serious skin diseases. In 1972, Dr. Yu and Dr. Van Scott discovered that fruit acids, known as AHAs, could effectively treat the disfiguring skin disease ichthyosis, changing the lives of thousands of people who suffered from this debilitating illness. Their further research into the biochemical properties of AHAs led to the discovery of the anti-wrinkle and anti-aging effects of these natural substances—a discovery that was licensed by skin care companies around the world, sparking the multi-billion-dollar cosmeceutical industry. Now in his 80s, Dr. Ruey Yu continues to work in the lab every day, hunting for biomarkers that could be used for early diagnosis of Alzheimers's and other diseases. In 2016, Dr. Yu and Dr. Van Scott sold NeoStrata to Johnson&Johnson, which is expanding the company's research labs into a centre of excellence for dermatological research." (Book Cover) TABLE OF CONTENTS: Foreword / Eugene J. Van Scott Prologue: Taiwan, 1946 Chapter 1 Coal Dust and Daydreams Chapter 2 Bowing to the Emperor Chapter 3 A “City Monkey” in the Country Chapter 4 Starvation and Surrender Chapter 5 Return to Hsinchu Chapter 6 The Tale of the Poor Scholar Chapter 7 A Diamond in the Trash Chapter 8 Pedalling Through Taipei Chapter 9 Pure Chemistry Chapter 10 Quemoy Chapter 11 Snowed Under Chapter 12 Coming to America Chapter 13 A Life-Changing Discovery Chapter 14 Taking a Gamble Chapter 15 Avon Calling Chapter 16 A Wrinkle in the Business Chapter 17 Head to Head with the Pink Lady Chapter 18 Moving Forward, Giving Back Chapter 19 New Research Directions Epilogue: Philosophy and Vision of My Life Afterword: Ruey Yu as a Child of Taiwan / Scott Simon