Allen Cheuk-Seng Cheng AC is an Australian epidemiologist and professor of medicine. Since 2015, he has been the Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at Monash University. His area of research is epidemiology, focusing on infectious disease research and public health policy. In 2025, he was awarded the Companion of the Order of Australia for his eminent service to medicine.
Early life and education
Cheng graduated from the University of Melbourne Faculty of Medicine, Dentistry & Health Sciences in 1993.[citation needed]
He also has a PhD (Flinders University), a Master of Public Health (Monash University) and a Master of Biostatistics (University of Queensland).[1][better source needed]
Medical career
During the COVID-19 pandemic, he served as Victoria's Deputy Chief Health Officer and chaired the Target Vaccine Advisory Group. He was also co-chair of coronavirus vaccines for the Australian Technical Advisory Group on Immunisation (ATAGI).[2][3]
Cheng has been Professor of Infectious Diseases Epidemiology within the Monash University Department of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine since 2015.[4]
Since 2023, he has been the Director of Infectious Diseases at Monash Health. Previously, he served as the Director of Infection Prevention and Healthcare Epidemiology at Alfred Health and held a professorship in Infectious Diseases Epidemiology at Monash University's School of Public Health and Preventive Medicine. Before his tenure at Alfred Health, Cheng worked as an infectious diseases physician in regional locations such as Darwin and Geelong, as well as internationally in Thailand, Papua New Guinea, the United States, and Finland.[5]
Awards and recognition
In the 2025 Australia Day Honours, Cheng was awarded Australia's highest civilian honour, Companion of the Order of Australia, "for eminent service to medicine as an epidemiologist, to infectious and communicable disease research and education, and to national and international public health policy".[4][6]
Other recognition includes:[4]
- 2008 Sir Richard Stawell Memorial Award, Australian Medical Association (Victoria).
- 2012 Frank Fenner Award for Advanced Research in Infectious Diseases, Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases.[7]
- 2014 National Health and Medical Research Council Excellence Award and Level 2 Clinical Fellowship.[8]
- 2018 WG Smith Fellow, Visiting Lecturer, Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
Personal life
Cheng is the son of migrant parents, who came to Australia from Malaysia and Hong Kong in the 1950s and 1960s. His father died during the COVID-19 pandemic.[2]
Publications
As of March 2025, Scopus lists 535 publications, which have been cited 29,107 times, and an h-index of 76.[9] Google Scholar lists 46,012 citations to his works, and an h-index of 94.[10]
References
- ^ "Researcher profile - Allen Cheng". Monash University. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ a b Kirk, Emma (25 January 2025). "Full list of Australia Day Honours revealed". news.com.au. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Cunningham, Melissa; Dow, Aisha (24 July 2021). "'You agonise over it': Allen Cheng's lockdown dilemma". The Sydney Morning Herald. Archived from the original on 18 September 2024.
- ^ a b c "Professor Allen Cheuk-Seng CHENG: Companion of the Order of Australia". honours.pmc.gov.au. Australian Government: Department of the Prime Minister and Cabinet. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Welcome Professor Allen Cheng, our new Director of Infectious Diseases". Monash Health. 24 March 2023. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Doctors' crucial health role recognised in Australia Day Honours". Australian Medical Association. 26 January 2025. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Awards and Grants". ASID - Australasian Society for Infectious Diseases. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ Huynh, Jennifer (11 June 2014). "Top Monash researchers recognised with NHMRC Excellence Awards – Rossjohn Lab". Monash University, Rossjohn Laboratory. Archived from the original on 10 December 2024. Retrieved 2 March 2025.
- ^ "Cheng, Allen C. - author profile". scopus.com. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
- ^ "Allen C Cheng". scholar.google.com. Retrieved 1 March 2025.
External links
- Official website at Monash University
- Cheng, Allen (5 September 2021). "My year as Victoria's deputy chief health officer: On the pandemic, press conferences and our COVID future". The Conversation. Retrieved 1 March 2025.