science

Jacqueline Whang-Peng

Jacqueline Whang-Peng is a science topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Jacqueline Whang-Peng rather than just read about it. In short: Jacqueline Jia-Kang Whang-Peng (Chinese: 彭汪嘉康; pinyin: Péng Wāng Jiākāng; born September 1932) is a Taiwanese-American physician-scientist specialized in cytogenetics of cancer, as well as medical genetics, genetic oncology, and gene mapping. She was a researcher at the National Cancer Institute from 1960 to 1993.

Key takeaways

Jacqueline Whang-Peng belongs to science; place it in that map before memorising details.
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Reproduce the core statement of Jacqueline Whang-Peng from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Jacqueline Jia-Kang Whang-Peng (Chinese: 彭汪嘉康; pinyin: Péng Wāng Jiākāng; born September 1932) is a Taiwanese-American physician-scientist specialized in cytogenetics of cancer, as well as medical genetics, genetic oncology, and gene mapping. She was a researcher at the National Cancer Institute from 1960 to 1993.

Early life and education Jacqueline Jia-Kang Whang-Peng was born in Suzhou. Whang-Peng completed a M.D. from Taipei Medical University in 1956. From 1955 to 1957, she was an intern and fixed intern in surgery at the National Taiwan University Hospital. 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 in internal medicine before joining the National Institutes of Health (NIH) in 1960.

Career Whang-Peng joined the medicine branch of the National Cancer Institute (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. 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. 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, American Association for the Advancement of Science, 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 trials in liver and cervical cancers.

Research

In collaboration with Joe Hin Tjio 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 medical genetics, genetic oncology, and gene mapping. Her studies of the Burkitt lymphoma 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 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. In 1972, Whang-Peng was one of the first two women to receive the Arthur S. Flemming Award. She was elected a member of Academia Sinica in 1984. Whang-Peng received scientific awards from the Chinese American Medical Society (1985), Organization of Chinese Americans (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. They have four children.

References

Illustrations

Jacqueline Whang-Peng: Whang-Peng at the NCI — Whang-Peng at the NCI

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Jacqueline Whang-Peng

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Jacqueline Whang-Peng claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In science, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Jacqueline Whang-Peng before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Jacqueline Whang-Peng ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Jacqueline Whang-Peng

In research: Jacqueline Whang-Peng appears in science research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Jacqueline Whang-Peng in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Jacqueline Whang-Peng is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics 1932 births, 20th-century American women scientists, 20th-century Taiwanese scientists, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Jacqueline Whang-Peng outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Jacqueline Whang-Peng in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Jacqueline Whang-Peng means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Jacqueline Whang-Peng out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Jacqueline Whang-Peng in simple terms?

Why does Jacqueline Whang-Peng matter?

Because it connects several science ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Jacqueline Whang-Peng?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Jacqueline Whang-Peng.