Q&A With Board Member Tuan Ha-Ngoc

Tuan Ha-Ngoc brings over 40 years of senior leadership experience in the healthcare and biotech industry to his role on the International Institute of New England’s Board of Directors. The retired President and CEO of AVEO Oncology, Tuan received the 2007 Ernst & Young New England Entrepreneur of the Year award in recognition of his “visionary leadership [in] develop[ing] a pipeline of very promising cancer medicines.” Tuan has served on the boards of various academic and nonprofit organizations and currently serves on the board of Harvard Medical School’s Biomedical Science Careers Program. He was born and grew up in Vietnam, became a refugee when Vietnam fell to the Communists, and immigrated to the U.S. in 1978. He is now happily retired so he can spend time with his family, including seven grandchildren. 

In addition to his role on IINE’s Board, Tuan is the Co-Chair of IINE’s Centennial Working Committee, formed to honor the 100th anniversary of our Boston office. We spoke with Tuan to learn more about his journey to the U.S., how being a refugee has shaped his career, and what excites him about IINE’s milestone anniversary and future.  

Can you share your journey to the U.S.?

I was born and grew up in Vietnam during the Vietnam War. In 1969, I had the opportunity to leave the country to pursue higher education with the condition that after graduation, I would return to Vietnam to help build the country despite the war. I landed at Paris University, where I obtained a pharmacy degree. I had been planning to return home in the summer of 1975, when the country fell to Communist rule that April. I had two options: return and live under a Communist government or stay in Paris and seek asylum, which is what I did. I still have the document issued by UNHCR, which deemed me “stateless.” It’s a word that has stayed with me to this day. It felt like I belonged nowhere, that I was on a boat in a vast ocean by myself – not literally, of course, though many of my compatriots experienced exactly that.  

Thankfully, my parents and siblings were able to leave Vietnam and join me in France. I stayed there for two years during which I obtained a Master’s Degree in Business Administration from INSEAD. In 1976, I joined a U.S. company called Baxter Healthcare, at their European HQ in Brussels. Then in 1978 two things happened – I got married to my beautiful wife, and my company decided to transfer me to its U.S. headquarters in Chicago.  

We arrived there in November with very little money, no family or friends to rely upon, and with my wife speaking very little English. That’s how we started our lives in the U.S. In 1984, I was recruited by one of the first biotech companies, which brought us to Boston, where we have been ever since.  

How did coming to the U.S. as a refugee shape your career path?

When I joined Genetics Institute, I didn’t fully understand what biotech was. That’s a similar tune you will hear about much of my career! I think, in general, because refugees have been forced to leave their homes and face an unknown future, we are much more willing to take a risk and learn as we go. There was a period in my career where I was being promoted about every six months, and with each promotion, I would come home and tell my wife, “I have no idea how to do this new job, but I’ll try my best!” And I did – I embraced the risk and that helped me grow.  

I think refugees also have a unique adaptability. When my three children graduated from college and were looking for jobs, they all wanted to find jobs that aligned with their passions. I told them that while it’s nice to have the opportunity to do that, for most of my career, I had to find a job first and then develop a passion for it. I think this ability to find happiness wherever I go has helped me be successful.  

As a refugee, you don’t know what the future will bring, so you try to focus on the present and make the best of it. If you are always trying to see your next step, you might trip or be disappointed. But if you stay focused on the now, you can build a strong foundation for your future.  

You first became a member of IINE’s Board of Directors in 2002. How did you initially become involved and what inspires your continued support?

I retired in the spring of 1999 after the acquisition of Genetics Institute by a multinational corporation, American Home Products, merging GI with their pharmaceutical division Wyeth, and I began searching for opportunities to give back. I felt I had been greatly privileged in two major ways: I had the chance to be financially independent thanks to the emerging biotech industry, and I had received support as a refugee, so I wanted to focus on those two areas in particular.  

I joined the boards of Harvard Medical School and Tufts Medical School, where I was able to contribute my expertise as a trained pharmacist and business executive.  

Then, in 2001, I was approached by IINE’s executive director at the time, who said the organization was looking for professionals who had been refugees to join the board. I listened to the mission, and I subscribed to it immediately. It was clear that IINE believed (and continues to believe) in providing support to clients in a respectful manner. Refugees can come with a variety of socioeconomic and educational backgrounds. I think of the businessmen who were forced to flee their home countries in the Middle East during the Gulf War. For many of them, their biggest goal and challenge was securing a job in the U.S. so they could continue to provide for their families. IINE understands the dignity in achieving self-sufficiency and being able to pursue one’s goals, and so our support extends beyond the initial resettlement to ensure refugees and immigrants have a chance to learn English, gain new skills, pursue careers, and gain citizenship. I think this focus on both immediate needs and long-term success is really critical.  

This year, IINE is celebrating 100 years of life-changing services in Boston during our annual Golden Door Award gala. Can you talk about the significance of this Centennial celebration? 

When I first became involved with chairing the Centennial Working Committee, I was of course excited by the significance of the anniversary. Today, with the new presidential administration, I feel like recognizing and celebrating 100 years of impact in the immigrant community is even more critical.  

If you look at the International Institute’s history, you’ll see we were born in a similarly hostile environment to what we are experiencing today. In 1917, a year before our Lowell office opened, and then again in 1924, when our Boston office opened, the government passed distinctly anti-immigrant legislation. In the face of this adversity, our founders—a group of women at a local YWCA—came together and created programs to promote cultural pluralism. I keep returning to the words of Marion Blackwell, the International Institute of Boston’s second Executive Secretary: “Don’t condemn—understand!” It’s such a powerful exhortation. I would parallel that statement with a new one, “Don’t reject—respect!” 

We know that when faced with difficult times, humans often seek someone to blame, and the easiest target is the people you don’t understand, the ones who are different from you. We have seen that throughout history – whether it was the Japanese, the Jewish, the Chinese, the list goes on. President Trump is capitalizing on this, and painting recent immigrants as criminals and a threat, instead of using his power to address actual issues in society, such as economic disparity, a lack of affordable housing, overcrowded schools, etc. IINE’s Boston Centennial offers us a chance to correct this narrative – to reset the clock and remind ourselves that our society has always been composed of all different waves of immigrants. Immigrants are an integral part of our society and families as our parents, our grandparents, our great grandparents.  

That’s why I’m so excited to be celebrating our Centennial. I want to continue to remind people not just to focus on what’s happening with immigration today, let’s also talk about the success of the past – how we were able to welcome and integrate immigrants, and overcome any initial challenges not just barely but beautifully, to become a flourishing city, region, and country.  

What excites you most when you think of IINE’s future? 

From the very beginning, our founders saw value in celebrating the diverse cultures and customs of the immigrants they were supporting. The famous poem inscribed on the pedestal of the Statue of Liberty calls for “your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.” I’ve always thought there was a missing element in that statement – let’s call for the cultural richness immigrants bring with them, too. When we learn about and embrace new cultures and customs, we become more unified and stronger.  

That’s my hope for IINE’s future – that we can remain true to our founders’ legacy of cultural pluralism. This year’s Golden Door Award gala will be a celebration – of 100 years of lasting impact and cultural exchange, and of the 100 that is to come.  

What do you want people to better understand about IINE’s work and the refugees and immigrants we serve?  

Take a moment and imagine what our nation would look like if we hadn’t allowed immigrants over the past century. Would you be here? And what kind of society would we be? 

We need immigrants. We have negative demographic growth and an aging population. Without newcomers, we will enter a recession. So not only should we welcome and support immigrants because it is the right thing to do, they are critical to maintaining the strength of our culture and our economy. 

IINE’s Board of Directors includes corporate and community leaders from across New England. View our members and leadership team here.