Executive Director of the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University.
Ong holds a PhD in microbiology and immunology from Stanford University (2010), a Master of Philosophy degree in development studies from Oxford University (2005), and an undergraduate degree in biochemical sciences from Harvard University (2003).
The guiding thread in Yi-Ching’s career has always been to explore how research and education can most effectively address and be informed by societal needs. Yi-Ching previously served as Senior Associate Director of Experiential Learning and Service Focus Program Director at the Pace Center for Civic Engagement at Princeton University.
Before her time at the Pace Center, Yi-Ching served as an associate research scholar and lecturer in the Global Health Program at Princeton and as a Robert Wood Johnson Health and Society Scholar at Columbia University.
Yi-Ching joined the Haas Center for Public Service at Stanford University as Executive Director in the summer of 2023. The Haas Center for Public Service connects academic study with community and public service to strengthen communities and develop effective public leaders. The Center aspires to develop aware, engaged, and thoughtful citizens who contribute to the realization of a more just and sustainable world.
Ong was valedictorian of her graduating class, a member of the National Honor Society, and was a National Merit Scholarship Semi-Finalist. She received the Robert C. Byrd Honors Scholarship, Tylenol Scholarship, and Alan W. Keller Memorial Award. While a high school student, she was involved with the Debate Team, Academic Bowls, the International Science Fair, and was a violinist in the WLHS Orchestra as well as the Lafayette Symphony Orchestra. Ong was a violin soloist with Lafayette Symphony in 1997 and a piano soloist with the Lafayette Symphony in 1999.
Ong writes, “My high school education gave me something far more valuable than just academic content. It instilled a lifelong love of learning and showed me what passionate, rigorous teaching looks like. I experienced firsthand how transformative dedicated, caring teachers can be and that’s a standard I strive to live up to in my own professional life. I also deeply appreciated the warm and supportive social environment in the West Lafayette schools. We didn’t specifically talk about social-emotional learning at the time, but there was an ambient expectation of kindness and respect. The close friendships formed during those years remain vital touchstones for me, even as we’ve scattered across the country.”