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Marquette University Alumni Association
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Klingler College of Arts and Sciences Award Recipients

Professional Achievement Award

Henry KwanDR. HENRY K.H. KWAN, ARTS '71

Summit, N.J.

Thanks to Dr. Henry Kwan, we all breathe a little easier.

Henry earned his bachelor of science in chemistry from Marquette and doctorate in pharmaceutical chemistry from the University of Michigan, then helped develop well-known allergy and cold medications such as Claritin, Claritin D-24, Nasonex and Afrin.

Born and raised in Hong Kong, the principal of Kwan Consulting LLC has a résumé as strong as the products he helped create. From senior R&D positions at NovaDel Pharma, Eurand and Schering-Plough to leadership roles in technical services and pharmaceutical technology at Wyeth-Ayerst and Warner-Lambert (both now part of Pfizer), Henry has contributed to some of the best specialty pharmaceutical companies and global health care product leaders.

Henry’s professional contributions reflect his Marquette experience beyond the periodic table of elements and balancing of chemical equations. Guided by his personal philosophy — “enjoy work, be thorough and aim to do it right the first time” — he says the university taught him the importance of giving back and contributing professionally as a means of improving people’s quality of life worldwide.

Let us all breathe a sigh of relief knowing that someone as knowledgeable and service-oriented as Henry has such a healthy prescription when it comes to professional happiness.

Fun fact: Henry says the most influential person in his life was his father — for what he believed in and stood for in his life-long volunteer work to advance the cause of education for Chinese in the then-British colony of Hong Kong. Henry says what Rev. Robert A. Wild, S.J., has done for Marquette the past 15 years reminds him of his father.