Obituary of Joe Gao

Joe Gao, Executive Director of Global Portfolio Statistics for Takeda in Cambridge, MA passed suddenly of a heart attack on Monday, March 25, 2024, in Burlington, MA.  He was 60 years old.  Joe was born in Shandong province, China.  He was the son of Weihan Gao and Xuanyu Cheng. He grew up in China and graduated from Sun Yat-sen University with B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees in Mathematics. He earned a Ph.D. in Mathematics in 1995 and an M.Sc. in Biostatistics in 1996 from the Western University in Ontario, Canada.  While pursuing his M.Sc. program, he worked as a Project Biostatistician at the Lunenfeld Research Institute in Toronto, Canada.

Joe was an overachiever and was quickly recognized for his skills, knowledge, and insight in the pharmaceutical industry.  He moved to Chicago in 1997 to work as a Senior Statistician and Manager at Scirex. In 2001, he moved to NJ to become an Associate Director of Biostatistics at Novartis. He joined Shire Pharmaceuticals in 2007 and worked as a Director and Sr Director.

In 2019, Joe assumed the role of Head of SQS Rare Diseases at Takeda in Cambridge, MA, where he was later promoted to Executive Director of Global Portfolio Statistics. He led the development of Plasma Derived Therapies, Rare Genetics/ Hematology, Mature Products, and Vaccines for immuno-oncology.

Joe was well respected in the industry and much loved by his coworkers. He believed in excellence in his work and would spend his spare time reading the latest statistical journals and attending statistical conferences. He believed that there was always more to learn and that, at 60, he still had potential he had not yet realized.

In addition to his passion for his work, Joe enjoyed exercising, running, and following his favorite sports teams. He recorded every game of World Cup on VHS for posterity. He enjoyed reading, podcasts, and keeping relevant in business and world trends. He had strong opinions about industrial policy, economic development, and vegetarianism.

Joe and his wife Connie celebrated his 60^th birthday in Seville, Spain. He was proud to see his daughter become a doctor and to see his 14-month-old grandson walk. He believed that he was lucky in life and was living the American Dream. He was loved by all who met him and will be dearly missed.

Joe Gao was the beloved husband of Connie Liu of Burlington, Massachusetts.  He was the loving father of Dr. Nina Gao and her partner Eugene Shumkov of New York, NY.  He was the proud grandfather of Gennady Gao. Joe was the brother of Zhirong, Zhaohai, and Xiaocheng. 

A funeral service will be held at the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home on Saturday, March 30 at 9:30 a.m.  There will be a visitation following the service from 10:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.  Relatives, friends, and coworkers are respectfully invited to attend.  The interment will be private.  Arrangements will be made by the Edward V. Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn Street, Burlington, Massachusetts. For online guestbook and video tribute see www.sullivanfuneralhome.net