College of Medicine researcher earns 2008 Faculty Scholar medals

College of Medicine researcher earns 2008 Faculty Scholar medals

Keith Cheng, professor of pathology at Penn State Hershey College of Medicine, has received one of four 2008 Faculty Scholar Medals for Outstanding Achievement, for his achievement in the life and health sciences.

Established in 1980, the award recognizes scholarly or creative excellence represented by a single contribution or a series of contributions around a coherent theme. A committee of faculty peer reviews nominations and selects candidates.

Cheng is recognized for discovery of the golden gene, which played an important role in the evolution of the light skin of European peoples. The discovery resulted from study of a light-skinned variant of the zebrafish, bringing to light new molecular and cellular mechanisms of regulating skin color. His work was published as a cover article in the journal Science in 2005, attracting substantial national and international attention. He continues to enjoy collaborative work on the mechanisms and genetics of human pigmentation.

At Penn State Hershey, Cheng has been a consistent leader in genetics, genomics and now whole-genome analysis of human complex traits. He continues his pioneering use of the zebrafish to study cancer, and is working with Penn State colleagues to develop computational tools for the use of microanatomy -- work that has important implications in systems biology, toxicology and human disease.

Cheng is a professor of pathology and member of the Jake Gittlen Cancer Research Foundation of the Penn State Cancer Institute, with joint appointments in the Departments of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology and Pharmacology.

Cheng earned his bachelor of arts from Harvard University, his medical degree from New York University and his doctoral degree in molecular genetics at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Institute; his postdoctoral work on mutational mechanisms of DNA damage was done at the University of Washington.