He received his MD from Weifang Medical College in Shandong, China, and his PhD from the Institute of Hematology at Beijing University in Beijing, China. He has received a two-year $570,000 grant from the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation. The funds are part of a JDRF program designed to fast-track scientific discoveries. Dr. Xia is currently partnering with industry to test a diabetes prevention therapy and move it rapidly into clinical testing in people if preliminary findings prove promising.