Jacqueline Jia-Kang Whang-Peng (, born September 1932) is a Taiwanese-American

physician-scientist A physician-scientist is traditionally a holder of a medical degree and a doctor of philosophy also known as an MD-PhD. Compared to other clinicians, physician-scientists invest significant time and professional effort in scientific research and ...

specialized in

cytogenetics Cytogenetics is essentially a branch of genetics, but is also a part of cell biology/cytology (a subdivision of human anatomy), that is concerned with how the chromosomes relate to cell behaviour, particularly to their behaviour during mitosis an ...

of cancer, as well as

medical genetics Medical genetics is the branch tics in that human genetics is a field of scientific research that may or may not apply to medicine, while medical genetics refers to the application of genetics to medical care. For example, research on the caus ...

, genetic

oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''ó ...

, and

gene mapping Gene mapping describes the methods used to identify the locus of a gene and the distances between genes. Gene mapping can also describe the distances between different sites within a gene. The essence of all genome mapping is to place a co ...

. She was a researcher at the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

from 1960 to 1993.

Early life and education

Jacqueline Jia-Kang Whang-Peng was born in

Suzhou Suzhou (; ; Suzhounese: ''sou¹ tseu¹'' , Mandarin: ), alternately romanized as Soochow, is a major city in southern Jiangsu province, East China. Suzhou is the largest city in Jiangsu, and a major economic center and focal point of trade ...

. Whang-Peng completed a M.D. from

Taipei Medical University Taipei Medical University (TMU; ) in Taiwan is located in Taipei's Xinyi District. Founded as Taipei Medical College in 1960, it was renamed as Taipei Medical University in 2000. TMU has expanded into a world class university with ten colleges, ...

in 1956. From 1955 to 1957, she was an intern and fixed intern in surgery at the

National Taiwan University Hospital The National Taiwan University Hospital (NTUH; ) is a medical facility located in the Zhongzheng District of Taipei, Taiwan. It started operations under Japanese rule in Daitōtei (today's Dadaocheng) on 18 June 1895, and moved to its present ...

. She was at New England Hospital as an intern resident and chief resident in surgery. She then served a residency at Quincy City Hospital in pathology and at

George Washington University Hospital The George Washington University Hospital is a for-profit hospital, located in Washington, D.C. in the United States. It is affiliated with the George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences. The current facility opened on ...

in internal medicine before joining the

National Institutes of Health The National Institutes of Health, commonly referred to as NIH (with each letter pronounced individually), is the primary agency of the United States government responsible for biomedical and public health research. It was founded in the late ...

(NIH) in 1960.

Career

Whang-Peng joined the medicine branch of the

(NCI) in 1960. By 1968, she was a senior investigator in the NCI's clinical trial area. In 1972, she was a senior investigator in NCI's Human Tumor Cell Biology Branch, where she conducted cytogenetic research aimed at explaining cellular control mechanisms in human cancer. Whang-Peng has been recognized for her work in cytogenetics by investigators all over the world. She published more than 200

scientific articles : ''For a broader class of literature, see Academic publishing.'' Scientific literature comprises scholarly publications that report original empirical and theoretical work in the natural and social sciences. Within an academic field, scienti ...

. Whang-Peng has instructed a number of senior professionals in this field. In 1972, she was associate editor of the ''

Journal of the National Cancer Institute The ''Journal of the National Cancer Institute'' (''JNCI'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal covering research in oncology that was established in August 1940. It is published monthly by Oxford University Press and is edited by Patricia A. Ganz ...

''. As of 1993, Whang-Peng has served on the editorial board of the journal ''Genes, Chromosomes and Cancer'' since 1989. Whang-Peng is a member of the Reticuloendothelial Society,

American Society of Hematology The American Society of Hematology (ASH) is a professional organization representing hematologists. It was founded in 1958. Its annual meeting is held in December of every year and has attracted more than 30,000 attendees. The society publishes th ...

American Association for the Advancement of Science The American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) is an American international non-profit organization with the stated goals of promoting cooperation among scientists, defending scientific freedom, encouraging scientific respons ...

, and the Foundation for Advanced Education in the Sciences. Whang-Peng was chief of the cytogenetic oncology section in the NCI's Medicine Branch when she retired on December 31, 1993. She returned to Taiwan to help in

clinical trial Clinical trials are prospective biomedical or behavioral research studies on human participants designed to answer specific questions about biomedical or behavioral interventions, including new treatments (such as novel vaccines, drugs, dietar ...

s in liver and

cervical cancer Cervical cancer is a cancer arising from the cervix. It is due to the abnormal growth of cells that have the ability to invade or spread to other parts of the body. Early on, typically no symptoms are seen. Later symptoms may include abnormal ...

Research

In collaboration with

Joe Hin Tjio Joe Hin Tjio (2 November 1919 – 27 November 2001), was an Indonesian-born American cytogeneticist. He was renowned as the first person to recognize the normal number of human chromosomes on December 22, 1955 at the Institute of Genetics of the ...

of the National Institute of Arthritis and Metabolic Diseases, she developed a technique for t he preparation of mammalian cells for the study of their chromosome complement. This technique is now utilized by many investigators and is considered responsible for much of the progress that has been made in the area. She was the primary consultant to other NIH investigators on diseases of inborn errors of metabolism and in diseases with inherited or congenital abnormalities. She devoted a good deal of her time to research on the kinetics and biology of leukemia cells. Whang-Peng showed that immature leukemic blood leukocytes are capable of maturing and differentiating in tissue culture and that these cells are capable of phagocytosis. Her studies have important implications in understanding leukemia and in treating patients with this disease. Her research interests center on determining cytogenetic differences between cancerous and normal cells, as well as

, genetic

, and

. Her studies of the

Burkitt lymphoma Burkitt lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic system, particularly B lymphocytes found in the germinal center. It is named after Denis Parsons Burkitt, the Irish surgeon who first described the disease in 1958 while working in equatorial Africa. ...

have revealed the presence of a specific chromosome alteration in both the cells from the original tumor and in tumor cells after culture.

Awards and honors

Whang-Peng was honored by the

Lions Clubs International The International Association of Lions Clubs, more commonly known as Lions Clubs International, is an international non-political service organization established originally in 1916 in Chicago, Illinois, by Melvin Jones. It is now headquartere ...

and the ''China Daily News''. In 1968, Whang-Peng was named Woman of the Year in medicine by the Republic of China for her work in malignant cell biology an chromosomes in human malignancy. Her award was presented by former Vice Premier

Wang Yun-wu Wang Yun-wu (; ; July 9, 1888 – August 14, 1979)http://m.blog.sina.com.tw/87951/article.php?pbgid=87951&entryid=644078 was an influential Chinese publisher, politician scholar of history and political science; He also invented the ''Shih Chi ...

. In 1972, Whang-Peng was one of the first two women to receive the

Arthur S. Flemming Award The Arthur S. Flemming Award is an award given annually to employees of the United States federal government. More than 500 individuals have received the award since it was created in 1948. The Trachtenberg School of Public Policy & Public Admini ...

. She was elected a member of

Academia Sinica Academia Sinica (AS, la, 1=Academia Sinica, 3=Chinese Academy; ), headquartered in Nangang, Taipei, is the national academy of Taiwan. Founded in Nanking, the academy supports research activities in a wide variety of disciplines, ranging from ...

in 1984. Whang-Peng received scientific awards from the Chinese American Medical Society (1985),

Organization of Chinese Americans OCA-Asian Pacific American Advocates (previously known as the Organization of Chinese Americans) is a non-profit organization founded in 1973, whose stated mission is to advance the social, political, and economic well-being of Asian Americans a ...

(1989); and a PHS Commendation Award in 1989.

Personal life

Whang-Peng became a U.S. citizen in June 1970. She is married to George Peng, a

mechanical engineer Mechanical may refer to: Machine * Machine (mechanical), a system of mechanisms that shape the actuator input to achieve a specific application of output forces and movement * Mechanical calculator, a device used to perform the basic operations of ...

. They have four children.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Whang-Peng, Jacqueline Living people Scientists from Suzhou Physicians from Jiangsu 20th-century Taiwanese scientists 20th-century American women scientists 21st-century American women physicians 21st-century American physicians Taiwanese women physicians Taiwanese women scientists Taiwanese people from Jiangsu National Institutes of Health people American people of Taiwanese descent American medical researchers Taiwanese medical researchers Women medical researchers Cancer researchers Taipei Medical University alumni Naturalized citizens of the United States 1932 births Members of Academia Sinica