From performing a precise surgery to lending a helping hand, Dr. Joseph Cheng is guided by his drive to be supportive for patients.
Cheng’s interest in providing the best care possible led him to the University of Cincinnati, where he has recently been named chair of the Department of Neurosurgery. Cheng leads all neurosurgery activities in the College of Medicine and at UC Health.
“People come to us and they can get collaboration on a treatment for disease. They are coming to a college that gives top-notch patient impact,” says Cheng.
“Learning and training allow me to tweak and improve. It’s an option I normally wouldn't have if I was just practicing and doing the same thing over and over again.” - Dr. Joseph Cheng
Cheng has spent most of his professional career working on-staff at universities’ medical programs. After earning his medical degree and completing his residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Cheng worked at Vanderbilt University’s School of Medicine before becoming a professor and director of the Neurosurgery Spine Program at Yale’s School of Medicine.
“I thought that when you worked at one university, you learned it all. That’s not true,” says Cheng. "Yale was a great opportunity because I learned what different colleges can do for people. I learned a lot on how to be more effective, about understanding the dynamics of a different environment.”
His time spent living in a different environment made moving to Ohio personally appealing for Cheng.
“A number of things make Cincinnati a great place to live,” says Cheng, “It’s great to be back in the Midwest area. It feels like a mix of Wisconsin and Vanderbilt. It’s a lot more like home than the north was.”
Cheng’s work has played a major role in pushing neuroscience forward. His work in neurosurgery, with his expertise in spinal surgery, has led him to treat a wide array of issues, from trauma and tumors to degenerative diseases and spinal cord injuries.
“We’re always looking for how to make care more conscious and beneficial, especially when a patient comes in with a specific problem,” says Cheng. “Compare it to selling car insurance. When you’re selling to a 17-year-old versus a 35-year-old, you know what to expect and who is more likely to get into an accident. You don’t really have that in medicine.”
Amongst all of Cheng’s professional achievements, he still considers his biggest accomplishments to be improving patient care.
“My best friend passed away at age 47 from a brain tumor. It made me realize we are still pretty helpless. … It highlights the type of work we still have to do. We shouldn’t be satisfied at trying everything possible; we should be doing everything possible.” - Dr. Joseph Cheng
Cheng looks forward to future innovations to patient care he can develop at his teaching hospital.
“There’s a benefit to the infrastructure of a university,” he says. “This was an opportunity for me to grow in a way I thought could take us further. Medical treatments are all about improving the quality of life. With what is in my hand, I believe I can take surgery to that next level.”
Lindsey Capritta is a contributing writer. Feedback welcome at feedback@cityscenemediagroup.com.
Dr. Joseph Cheng
Board certified in neurological surgery, Dr. Joseph Cheng is an expert in complex spinal surgery. Cheng earned his medical degree from the Medical College of Wisconsin in 1994 and a master’s degree in biomedical engineering from Marquette University in 2002. After completing his residency, he became a faculty member at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine and served as director of the University’s Neurosurgery Spine Program. In 2016, he became a professor and vice chair of neurosurgery at the Yale School of Medicine, where he directed the Neurosurgery Spine Fellowship. In 2017 Cheng was named professor and chair of the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine’s Department of Neurosurgery.
Gardner Neuroscience Institute
Dr. Joseph Cheng is not the only new addition to the University of Cincinnati’s neurosciences department.
The university began construction this past spring on a new clinical outpatient facility called the University of Cincinnati Gardner Neuroscience Institute. The $60.5 million, four-story building is set to be completed in 2019 and will have a staff of more than 100 doctors, researchers, and specialists.
The facility will handle all care across the neuroscience department’s 14 specialty centers, including treatments for Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s diseases, as well as stroke care and rehabilitation. The institute will also provide new educational opportunities, featuring learning spaces alongside clinical rotations and trials.
