Oregon MESA

Tong Zhang, PhD

Director, Oregon MESA
503-725-4665 | EMAIL

Tong is a first-generation American who immigrated from China to the US as a small child. She attended Title I schools throughout her elementary years and credits the dedicated teachers and well-rounded education she received for shaping her career interests and fostering her academic success. She has a background in working with organizations to create meaningful and sustained social impact. This includes being a founding staff member and COO of Thread, an organization providing wrap-around support to high school students in Baltimore city.

Prior to her work in non-profit management, she worked on developing cancer vaccines. She has a Ph.D. in Immunology from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and a B.S. in Biochemistry from the University of Washington. Tong is passionate about the MESA mission of engaging underserved students in STEM in her home state of Oregon and beyond.