Prof. Leng Chee Chang | Bioactive Agents | Best Researcher Award

Prof. Leng Chee Chang, University of Hawaii Hilo/College of Pharmacy, United States

Dr. Leng Chee Chang is a Professor in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the Daniel K. Inouye College of Pharmacy (DKICP), University of Hawai‘i at Hilo. A U.S. citizen by naturalization, she earned her B.S. and M.S. degrees in Chemistry from the National University of Malaysia and her Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Chicago. With over two decades of academic and research experience, Dr. Chang has held faculty positions at the University of Minnesota Duluth and the University of Hawai‘i, and completed postdoctoral training at the NIH and UIC. Her research focuses on the discovery and evaluation of natural products from plants and marine algae for cancer chemoprevention, chemotherapy, and infectious disease treatment, with molecular targets including NF-κB and nitric oxide pathways. A recipient of numerous awards for teaching and research excellence, she is also a dedicated educator, coordinating and teaching a wide range of Pharm.D. and Ph.D. courses in pharmaceutical sciences and pharmacognosy.

Professional Profile:

SCOPUS

Summary of Suitability for the Research for Best Researcher Award

Dr. Leng Chee Chang, Professor at the University of Hawai’i Hilo, is a highly accomplished researcher in the field of pharmaceutical sciences, with a specialization in natural products chemistry. Her research is particularly focused on the chemopreventive and therapeutic potential of natural compounds in cancer treatment and infectious diseases. This dual focus on cancer biology and ethnobotanical medicine addresses critical global health challenges and reflects her capacity to bridge traditional knowledge with cutting-edge biomedical research.

🎓 Education

• B.S. in Chemistry (Honors) – 1988
  National University of Malaysia (NUM), Faculty of Natural Resources, Sabah, Malaysia

• M.S. in Organic Chemistry – 1992
  National University of Malaysia (NUM), Sabah, Malaysia

• Ph.D. in Natural Products Chemistry – 1998
  University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC), Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy

💼 Work Experience

• 👩‍🏫 Professor (2021–present)
  Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of Hawaiʻi at Hilo (UHH)

• 🧪 Affiliate Faculty (2018–present)
  Department of Chemistry, UHH

• 👩‍🔬 Associate Professor (2014–2021)
  Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, UHH

• 🧬 Associate Member (2014–2021)
  Natural Products & Experimental Therapeutics and Cancer Biology Programs, UH Cancer Center

• 👩‍🏫 Assistant Professor (2007–2014)
  Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences, DKICP, UHH

• 🔬 Assistant Professor (2003–2007)
  Department of Chemistry & Biochemistry, University of Minnesota Duluth

• 🧫 NIH Fellow

  • Ruth L. Kirschstein NRSA Fellow (2001–2003), University of Minnesota

  • Intramural Research Training Award Fellow (2000–2001), NIDDK, NIH

• 💊 Postdoctoral Associate (1998–2000)
  University of Illinois at Chicago

🏆 Honors and Awards

• 🏅 Van Doren Scholar Award – 1997

• 🧪 Kilmer Prize – ASP Annual Meeting, 1998

• ✈️ Travel Awards – American Society of Pharmacognosy (2000, 2004, 2006, 2023)

• 🧠 Cottrell College Science Award – 2005

• 🧬 Masonic Dietz Family Travel Award – 2006

• 🇬🇷 Faculty Travel Award to Athens, Greece – 2008

• 👩‍🏫 Teacher of the Year – Pharmaceutical Sciences – 2011, 2013, 2023

• 🎓 Member of Phi Kappa Phi and Rho Chi Honor Societies

• 🧬 Excellence in Scholarly/Creative Activities Award – 2017

• 👨‍🔬 Faculty Advisor – AFPE Gateway Research Award (2020, 2022), ASP Undergraduate Research Award (2023, 2024)

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