Dr. Ching-Hon Pui is a world-renowned pediatric oncologist and distinguished leader at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tennessee, where he serves as Chair of the Department of Oncology and holds the Fahad Nassar Al-Rashid Endowed Chair of Leukemia Research. He received his MD from National Taiwan University before beginning his transformative career at St. Jude in 1977, where he has dedicated over four decades to advancing pediatric cancer treatment. As Director of the Hematological Malignancies Program for the St. Jude Cancer Center since 1995 and Director of the China Region for St. Jude Global since 1999, he has established himself as a pivotal figure in childhood cancer research with extensive international influence. His leadership extends across multiple departments as a Member of the St. Jude Faculty in Oncology, Pathology and Global Pediatric Medicine, while also serving as an American Cancer Society Professor.
Dr. Pui pioneered precision treatment approaches that dramatically increased cure rates for acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), the most common childhood cancer, elevating survival from approximately 70 percent in the early 1980s to unprecedented levels exceeding 90 percent in patients treated at St. Jude. His research breakthroughs enabled the elimination of cranial irradiation from standard treatment protocols, thereby preventing devastating long-term side effects and significantly improving patients' quality of life after remission. He identified a novel secondary form of acute myeloid leukemia caused by epipodophyllotoxins, a class of widely used chemotherapeutic agents, and subsequently developed optimal treatment approaches to mitigate this serious complication. His systematic research methodology has translated laboratory discoveries into clinical applications that have reshaped global standards for pediatric leukemia treatment.
Beyond his direct clinical contributions, Dr. Pui has profoundly impacted global pediatric oncology through the St. Jude Global initiative, particularly through the China Program which has transformed cancer care for children across Asia. His work has enhanced patient quality of life, expanded access to high-quality cancer treatment internationally, and significantly improved pediatric oncology training on a global scale. As a mentor and educator, he has cultivated the next generation of cancer researchers while establishing collaborative frameworks that continue to advance the field. His enduring legacy includes not only remarkable survival rate improvements but also the establishment of international partnerships that ensure his innovative approaches continue to benefit children with cancer worldwide.
