Yung-chi Cheng (

traditional Chinese A tradition is a system of beliefs or behaviors (folk custom) passed down within a group of people or society with symbolic meaning or special significance with origins in the past. A component of cultural expressions and folklore, common examp ...

: 鄭永齊;

pinyin Hanyu Pinyin, or simply pinyin, officially the Chinese Phonetic Alphabet, is the most common romanization system for Standard Chinese. ''Hanyu'' () literally means 'Han Chinese, Han language'—that is, the Chinese language—while ''pinyin' ...

: ''Zhèng Yǒngqí''; born December 29, 1944), also known as Tommy Cheng, is a Taiwanese-American

pharmacologist Pharmacology is the science of drugs and medications, including a substance's origin, composition, pharmacokinetics, pharmacodynamics, therapeutic use, and toxicology. More specifically, it is the study of the interactions that occur between ...

. He is the Henry Bronson Professor of Pharmacology at

Yale University Yale University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701, Yale is the List of Colonial Colleges, third-oldest institution of higher education in the United Stat ...

, where he is the director of the Cheng laboratory at the

Yale School of Medicine The Yale School of Medicine is the medical school of Yale University, a private research university in New Haven, Connecticut. It was founded in 1810 as the Medical Institution of Yale College and formally opened in 1813. It is the sixth-oldest m ...

devoted to the study of

antiviral drugs Antiviral drugs are a class of medication used for treating viral infections. Most antivirals target specific viruses, while a broad-spectrum antiviral is effective against a wide range of viruses. Antiviral drugs are a class of antimicrobials ...

, and chairman of the Consortium for the Globalization of Chinese Medicine (CGCM).

Early life and education

Cheng was born in England on December 29, 1944, and later moved to

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...

. After graduating from

Tunghai University Tunghai University (THU; ) is a private university in Xitun District, Taichung, Taiwan, established in 1955. It was founded by the United Board for Christian Higher Education in Asia (UBCHEA). The university is known for its liberal arts educati ...

in 1966 with a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, B.S., B.Sc., SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree that is awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Scienc ...

(B.S.) in chemistry and biology, Cheng went to Canada and studied for a year at the

University of Guelph The University of Guelph (abbreviated U of G) is a comprehensive Public university, public research university in Guelph, Ontario, Canada. It was established in 1964 after the amalgamation of Ontario Agricultural College (1874), the MacDonald I ...

. Because his wife was a graduate student at

Brown University Brown University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. It is the List of colonial colleges, seventh-oldest institution of higher education in the US, founded in 1764 as the ' ...

, Cheng decided to transfer to Brown and pursue graduate studies in the United States. He spent his first two years at Brown University studying medicine before earning a Ph.D. in biochemical pharmacology in 1972 from the university, where he had been a

research associate Research associates are researchers (scholars and professionals) that usually have an advanced degree beyond a Bachelor's degree such as a master's degree or a PhD. In some universities/research institutes, such as Harvard/Harvard Medical Scho ...

under professor R.E. Parks that same year. His doctoral dissertation was titled, "Distribution of Nucleoside Diphosphokinase (NDP Kinase) Isoenenzymes in Animal Tissues."

Career

From September 1972 to June 1973, Cheng was a

postdoctoral researcher A postdoctoral fellow, postdoctoral researcher, or simply postdoc, is a person professionally conducting research after the completion of their doctoral studies (typically a PhD). Postdocs most commonly, but not always, have a temporary acade ...

under pharmacologist

William Prusoff William Herman Prusoff (June 25, 1920 – April 3, 2011) was an American pharmacologist who was an early innovator in antiviral drugs, developing idoxuridine, the first antiviral agent approved by the FDA, in the 1950s, and co-developing (wit ...

at the

.{{Cite web , date=September 18, 2013 , title=Curriculum Vitae: Cheng, Yung-chi , url=https://beatrix.yale.edu/api/people/profiles/66778/public-cv/download , access-date=4 January 2025 , publisher=

In the 1970s, together they co-formulated the Cheng-Prusoff equation to calculate the absolute inhibition constant K_i (IC₅₀). In 1974, Cheng became an

assistant professor Assistant professor is an academic rank just below the rank of an associate professor used in universities or colleges, mainly in the United States, Canada, Japan, and South Korea. Overview This position is generally taken after earning a doct ...

in pharmacology at the

State University of New York The State University of New York (SUNY ) is a system of Public education, public colleges and universities in the New York (state), State of New York. It is one of the List of largest universities and university networks by enrollment, larges ...

(SUNY), during which time he was a scientist in cancer research at the

Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center is a cancer research and treatment center located in Buffalo, New York. Founded by surgeon Roswell Park in 1898, the center was the first in the United States to specifically focus on cancer research. Th ...

from 1976 to 1977, and was an

associate professor Associate professor is an academic title with two principal meanings: in the North American system and that of the ''Commonwealth system''. In the ''North American system'', used in the United States and many other countries, it is a position ...

of pharmacology at SUNY from 1977 to 1979.CV
at

National Health Research Institutes The National Health Research Institutes (NHRI; ) in Zhunan Township, Miaoli County, Taiwan, is a non-profit foundation dedicated to medical research and improved healthcare in Taiwan. Established by the Taiwan government in 1995, NHRI is under ...

, Taiwan In 1994, Cheng was elected a member of

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, ; zh, t=中央研究院) is the national academy of the Taiwan, Republic of China. It is headquartered in Nangang District, Taipei, Nangang, Taipei. Founded in Nanjing, the academy supports research activities in mathemat ...

Personal life

Cheng is married to Elaine H.C. Cheng, with whom he has two children.

References

External links

CV
at

, Taiwan 1944 births Tunghai University alumni Brown University alumni Yale University faculty Yale School of Medicine faculty Members of Academia Sinica University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill faculty