Chee-Wai Cheng, Ph.D. has been named director director of physics at the Midwest Proton Radiotherapy Institute (MPRI). Dr. Cheng, a fellow of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine, has spent more than two decades working in radiation oncology, most recently as chief physicist at Morristown Memorial Hospital in Morristown, N.J. He also has served as a member of the faculty at the Harvard Medical School and at The University of Arizona – Tucson. He holds several patents in the area of therapeutic radiation and has authored textbook chapters as well as more than 100 peer-reviewed papers.

“Dr. Cheng is an extraordinarily successful clinician,” said Dr. Peter Johnstone, president and chief executive officer of MPRI, and chair and William A. Mitchell professor of radiation oncology at the Indiana University School of Medicine. “We are very fortunate to be able to recruit him to Bloomington to provide leadership for our physics enterprise at MPRI.”

Dr. Cheng’s also joins the faculty at the Indiana University School of Medicine as professor of clinical radiation oncology. At MPRI, one of only five proton therapy centers in the country offering highly precise radiation treatment for cancer, Dr. Cheng will be active in both clinical and research activities.

“In addition to coordinating all the treatment planning and quality assurance for our patients, I have many research projects planned,” Dr. Cheng said. “I hope to make a contribution to ongoing research that will push proton therapy to the next level.”

According to Dr. Cheng, when proton beam technology emerged more than 60 years ago, its scientists pioneered many of the techniques now widely used in traditional photon, or X-ray, radiation therapy. Since then, proton beam technology has remained available at only a handful of centers, while radiation therapy using high energy photons has proliferated throughout the country.
“We now realize that protons have some distinct advantages over photons, especially for sparing normal tissue,” Dr. Cheng said. “Because cancer survivors live much longer now, it is even more important to avoid the side effects of radiation treatment.”

Since treating its first patient in 2004, MPRI has attracted patients from around the world seeking proton therapy for a wide range of cancers. Proton therapy is able to deliver the exact dose of radiation needed to treat a tumor, sparing nearby healthy tissue and organs and minimizing side effects.

Dr. Cheng has three degrees in physics including a bachelor’s degree from the University of Hong Kong and both a master’s degree and doctorate from the University of Toronto in Ontario, Canada.

MPRI is a state-of-the-art center offering proton therapy: a highly precise mechanism of treating cancer. Since February 2004, MPRI physicians have treated adults and children with both benign and cancerous tumors, while protecting healthy tissues and normal structures. Located on the Indiana University Bloomington campus, MPRI is the third of five high-energy proton centers currently operating in the United States and is the only facility located in the Midwest. The MPRI Clinic was constructed within the Indiana University Cyclotron Facility, the manufacturer of the proton beam equipment. MPRI is programmatically incorporated into the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Cancer Center and is a Clarian Health Partner. Referrals from physicians or self referrals from patients are welcome. For more information, visit http://www.mpri.org or call 866.ITS.MPRI.