S’porean high-flyer dies from rare brain disease
A Singaporean law academic has died in New York after contracting a rare disease that causes inflammation of the brain.
Dr Sarah Woo Pei Yee, a 33-year-old assistant professor of law at New York University (NYU), was on holiday with her husband in Toronto, Canada when she fainted in the hotel room.
She was taken to a hospital and later transferred to the New York Presbyterian Hospital, where she died seven weeks later on 15 July after a battle against encephalitis, reported The Straits Times (ST)
Encephalitis is commonly caused by viral infections. Many cases of encephalitis results in only mild flu-like symptoms but severe cases can be life-threatening. Symptoms include headache, fever, confusion, drowsiness and fatigue.
Dr Woo joined NYU in June 2010. She was on holiday with her husband Kenneth Wee, 33, during the school's term break when she fell ill. On 15 July, NYU's law school dean Richard Revesz informed the law school community that Dr Woo had died.
A statement was posted on NYU's law school homepage on 21 July about the news of Dr Woo's "untimely death".
"I know that our entire community shares my shock and sorrow at this incomprehensible loss," said Professor Revesz. "Sarah was a gifted colleague whose intelligence and cutting-edge scholarship made her an important member of our intellectual community. Her time with us was much too brief."
Dr Woo's father, Woo Cheok Seng, 62, told ST he has difficulty accepting his daughter's death.
The retiree, who lives in Singapore with his wife and younger daughter, flew to New York when he heard of Dr Woo's illness last month. He described the weeks that followed as very "mentally stressful".
"Her condition kept fluctuating," he said. "Some days it was good and some days it was bad. It was very difficult for us."
Woo said his elder daughter was a bookworm and an accomplished pianist. Another former NUS classmate said she was "intellectually brilliant" and "always friendly and helpful".
A 2010 NYU Law School article on Dr Woo described her as a "self-confessed maths and computer science geek in high school".
Dr Woo's ashes have been brought back to Singapore. A memorial services will be held on Friday night at the Poh Ming Tse Temple in Dunearn Road.
Dr Woo was a high-flyer who graduated first in her class. She was valedictorian of the NUS law faculty in 2001 and held a master's and doctorate in law from Stanford Law School. She was also the recipient of several scholarships, such as the Standford JSD (Doctor of Science Law) Scholarship, and awards, such as the Lee Kuan Yew Gold Medal.
She spent several years in private practice, first in corporate finance law at Baker & McKenzie (Singapore) and White & Case (San Francisco), and later in finance at Morgan Stanley (San Francisco and Shanghai) and as an associate director at Moody's KVM (New York and London).
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