Faculty Profile: Huai Cheng

Dr. Huai Cheng Wins 2014 Robley Dunglison Teaching Award

The Robley Dunglison award is given annually by the School of Medicine graduating class to a faculty member in recognition of outstanding teaching. Dr. Cheng received the award from the 2014 SOM graduating class. In the October 2013 issue of Medicine Matters, he shared his thoughts on teaching.

I was raised in a small village in southern China, where my mother was the only OB/GYN practitioner—she delivered thousands of babies—and my father was a high school art teacher. Everyone in my family is involved in education in some way: my brother teaches college accounting and my sister teaches Chinese at the secondary school level. My dream as a kid was to be either a pilot or a high school math teacher, but I ended up in the field of medicine—which made my parents very happy. I have lived many places, including Beijing, New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, Houston, and St. Louis, but my wife and I have settled down in Charlottesville.

In the practice of internal medicine, I like the professional variety and the opportunity to learn about different medical fields, from cardiology to geriatrics to palliative care. I especially enjoy working with older people; they have taught me a lot. I enjoy treating those with multiple co-existing conditions and complex needs.

Working in medicine makes me feel, at the end of the day, that life is meaningful and that I’ve done something good.