Ada Cheung is an Australian clinical scientist, endocrinologist and researcher who is known for her research in

transgender studies Transgender studies, also called trans studies or trans* studies, is an interdisciplinary field of academic research dedicated to the study of gender identity, gender expression, and gender embodiment, as well as to the study of various issues o ...

. She holds both a

NHMRC The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) is the main statutory authority of the Australian Government responsible for medical research. It was the eighth largest research funding body in the world in 2016, and NHMRC-funded res ...

and Dame Kate Campbell Research fellowship as a principal research fellow at the

University of Melbourne The University of Melbourne (colloquially known as Melbourne University) is a public university, public research university located in Melbourne, Australia. Founded in 1853, it is Australia's second oldest university and the oldest in the state ...

and works as a clinician scientist and endocrinologist at Austin Hospital in Melbourne.

Education and career

Cheung earned a

MBBS A Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor of Surgery (; MBBS, also abbreviated as BM BS, MB ChB, MB BCh, or MB BChir) is a medical degree granted by medical schools or universities in countries that adhere to the United Kingdom's higher education tradi ...

(Hons) in 2003, and a

PhD A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, DPhil; or ) is a terminal degree that usually denotes the highest level of academic achievement in a given discipline and is awarded following a course of graduate study and original research. The name of the deg ...

in 2017 at the

. Prior to completing her PhD, together with Jeffrey Zajac, Cheung established a clinic in 2016 to serve trans and gender-diverse people. After completing her degree in 2017, she established the ''Trans Health Research'' group at the University of Melbourne to improve the "health and wellbeing of trans and gender-diverse communities". Through the research led at the Trans Health Research group, she was able to help secure government funding for two trans health clinics and a state-wide training program for health professionals. Cheung promotes an

informed consent Informed consent is an applied ethics principle that a person must have sufficient information and understanding before making decisions about accepting risk. Pertinent information may include risks and benefits of treatments, alternative treatme ...

approach to

gender-affirming care Transgender health care includes the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of physical and mental health conditions which affect transgender individuals.Gorton N, Grubb HM (2014). General, Sexual, and Reproductive health. In L. Erickson-Schroth. ...

and through her work has helped inform national guidelines in Australia on

gender-affirming hormone therapy Gender-affirming hormone therapy (GAHT), also called hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or transgender hormone therapy, is a form of hormone therapy in which sex hormones and other sex-hormonal agent, hormonal medications are administered to transg ...

for transgender patients. Cheung serves as a board member on the Endocrine Society of Australia Council. She also serves as a member of the ''Committee on Diversity and Inclusion'' (CoDI) at the international

Endocrine Society The Endocrine Society is a professional, international medical organization in the field of endocrinology and metabolism, founded in 1916 as The Association for the Study of Internal Secretions. The official name of the organization was changed t ...

. Cheung is an associate editor of the

International Journal of Transgender Health The ''International Journal of Transgender Health'' is a quarterly peer-reviewed academic journal covering research on gender dysphoria and gender incongruence, the medical treatment of transgender individuals, social and legal acceptance of gend ...

. She is also a member of the editorial board of the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism, as well as a member of the editorial board of the journal on ''Therapeutic Advances in Endocrinology and Metabolism''. Cheung has been a guest on various medical podcasts. In 2019 she appeared on the

Medical Journal of Australia The ''Medical Journal of Australia'' (MJA) is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 22 times a year. It is the official journal of the Australian Medical Association, published by Wiley (publisher), Wiley on behalf of the Australasian Medical ...

podcast where she explained the new national guidelines on gender affirming care she helped co-author. In 2020, Cheung appeared as a guest on the podcast ''MDQueer'' on the topic of

. In November 2023, she appeared on the Australian podcast ''The Latest in LGBTIQ+ Health and Policy''. In June 2024, Cheung appeared as a guest on the podcast Science Vs on the topic of ''Trans Kids’ Healthcare: Are We Getting It Wrong?'' alongside Professor Stephen Russell and Dr Cal Horton.

Awards and recognition

* In 2017, Cheung earned the Early Investigators Award by the

. * In 2020, she earned the Dame Kate Campbell Research Fellowship. * In 2021, she was named the GLOBE Ally of the year. * In 2021, she received a Strategic Grant for Outstanding Women by the

, recognizing her contributions in transgender research and for being "pivotal in developing new national guidelines in the hormonal management of trans and gender diverse individual". * In 2024, she was named one of 50 ''remarkable and inspirational women in Australian science'' by Cosmos Magazine. * In 2024, she was inducted onto the

Victorian Honour Roll of Women The Victorian Honour Roll of Women was established in 2001 to recognise the achievements of women from the Australian state of Victoria. It was launched by The Hon. Joan Kirner AC as a joint initiative of the Centenary of Federation Victoria Comm ...

Bibliography

Cheung has published a large number of highly cited research papers in peer-reviewed journals during her career. Some select articles: * * * * * * * * *

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Cheung, Ada Living people Gender studies academics Academic staff of the University of Melbourne 20th-century Australian women medical doctors Melbourne Medical School alumni Transgender studies academics Year of birth missing (living people)