Zhe-Sheng Chen

If you peer into any classroom at St. John’s University, you’ll find hundreds of dedicated faculty who bring a wealth of knowledge and passion to what they do each and every day.

Zhe-Sheng Chen, Ph.D. M.D., Associate Professor of Pharmacology in the College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, is one such example. After joining the University in 2004, Professor Chen took his interests in cancer pharmacology research beyond the classroom, and with the help of the College, opened the University’s first cancer pharmacology laboratory.

“My interest in building a cancer pharmacology lab first surfaced at the cancer center I worked for at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia, nothing came to fruition,” explains Dr. Chen. “But I knew this research would become instrumental in the treatment of cancer so I continued to pursue the idea once I joined the faculty at St. Johns.”

Winner of two faculty recognition awards, Professor Chen is most proud of his ongoing efforts to help students succeed in pharmaceutical science careers.

“I always aspire to pass down everything I know so the next generation of pharmaceutical scientists can become leaders in the field,” says Dr. Chen. “I believe it’s my responsibility as an educator, not only to provide them with the credentials to work within the field, but also to help them build a foundation for a successful future.”

Encouraging students to publish in peer reviewed journals, working with them as a faculty mentor and creating opportunities for them to present their research nationwide – these practices result in almost every one of Dr. Chen’s students graduating with a position at a top pharmaceutical company or an acceptance at a renowned research institution.

Says Dr. Chen, “My students have presented at the conference in National Institute of Health in Washington, DC, have published in a record number of journals and have used federal funding to pursue their research. All of these combined give them an immense advantage in the field. Plus it’s something we can all be proud of.”