CHRISTABEL CHEUNG

Dr. Cheung's professional experience spans diverse fields, including 12+ years of UX research, 8 years of executive management and clinical social work practice in health and mental health services, 3 years of public relations in enterprise digital technology, and 6 years as a certified personal fitness trainer.

As an independent user experience (UX) research consultant at Jade Gangster, LLC, Dr. Cheung advises on inclusive products and services, providing scientific and subject matter consultation on UX/UI/HCI research and advocacy for usability. Jade Gangster is an independent consultancy born from her trailblazing cancer blog, which has been acknowledged by the oncology community as one of the first to advocate for racially minoritized young adult patients.

In her concurrent role as assistant professor of social work at the University of Maryland, Dr. Cheung leads Cheung Research Lab as its principal investigator.  She and her team conduct UX research to inform human-centered products and services for adolescent and young adult (AYA) cancer patients. Projects include collaborations with cross-functional scientists, engineers, and stakeholders with emphasis on underrepresented BIPOC and LGBTQ+ user audiences. Summarily, she participates in research collaborations supported by over $10 million of secured grant funding. Her projects have won various industry awards such as the Guiding Researchers and Advocates to Scientific Partnerships (GRASP) Advocate Choice Award at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting, the world’s largest clinical cancer research conference with over 5,000 submissions of research and 40,000 attendees.

Dr. Cheung is an embodied BIPOC AYA patient scientist and two-time young adult cancer survivor (Hodgkin lymphoma), making her a powerful advocate for health equity. She is an in-demand speaker at national and global conferences and events and frequently contributes expert testimony in media interviews. She was honored to join a delegation of AYA oncology leaders who met with President Biden’s Cancer Moonshot team to discuss advancements and challenges in the field.

Overall, Dr. Cheung's expertise and commitment to health equity make her a formidable contributor to the social and behavioral sciences, paving the way for inclusive research and designing products and services with a goal to eliminate unnecessary suffering by centering patient wisdom.