Cheuk Receives Mohamed Award

Shu Cheuk, DDS, MEd, FAGD

Shu Cheuk, DDS, MEd, FAGD, was selected by Dean Henry Gremillion to receive the Shawky Mohamed Distinguished Faculty Award. The award, which honors outstanding faculty members for their contributions in teaching, mentorship, and scholarly work, is named after longtime LSUHSC School of Dentistry (LSUSD) faculty member Shawky E. Mohamed, BDS, DDS, MS, MEd. Dr. Gremillion presented the award to Dr. Cheuk on Alumni Day on September 21. He is the first person to receive the award since its establishment in 2009.

Dr. Cheuk currently holds the position of Emeritus Professor of Comprehensive Dentistry and Biomaterials. He received his DDS from Washington University in St. Louis in 1973 and his general dentistry residency certificate from LSUSD in 1975. He then joined the Department of General Dentistry as an assistant professor, attaining the rank of professor in 1985. For the majority of his career, he served as a clinical instructor to fourth-year dental students. Since retiring from LSUSD in 2009 with 34 years of service, Dr. Cheuk continues to instruct second, third, and fourth-year dental students in the clinics full-time as a gratis faculty member.

"In my high school chemistry class, my teacher asked me what I wanted to do and I said become a teacher," said Dr. Cheuk. "Little did I know at the time that I would devote my entire career to teaching. I enjoy meeting new students, working side-by-side with them in the clinic, and caring for patients." In addition to his many contributions as a teacher and mentor, his scholarly accomplishments are equally impressive.

Dr. Cheuk has held numerous LSUSD administrative and committee responsibilities, has published over 30 journal and abstract articles, and has received numerous awards. While in dental school, in addition to achieving the dean's list status and the coveted DDS cum laude award, he received the Alpha Omega M.H. Kornblum Award, the General Excellence in Basic Sciences Award, the XI Psi Phi Anatomy Award for Excellence in Gross Anatomy, the Edgar S. Hill Memorial Award for Highest Academic Average, the Mosby Scholarship Book Award for Scholastic Excellence in Orthodontics, the American Society of Dentistry for Children Award, and the Anna Bredall Award for Operative Dentistry. He is also a fellow in the Academy of General Dentistry.

Dr. Cheuk has also been active in his community. He participated in the Jefferson Parish Council on Aging Dental Screening Program, assisted in identifying Pam Am Flight 759 plane crash victims in 1982, and has served as a judge for both the Louisiana Science and Engineering Fair and the Greater New Orleans Science Fair. He also served on the Metropolitan Area Committee Educational Governance Reform Project.

"Dr. Cheuk is the consummate professional and is so deserving of this award," said Dr. Henry Gremillion. "In addition to his many years of service as a faculty member, he continues to contribute his time and expertise to educate our students full-time with no compensation. I would be hard-pressed to name anyone who gives so much and expects nothing in return."

"The impact that professors have on their students can last a lifetime," said Dr. Dale Ehrlich, chair of the department of comprehensive dentistry and biomaterials. "Dr. Cheuk has contributed so much to dental education. I cannot thank him enough for everything he has done for the department and for our students."

Dr. Cheuk's personal life is diverse and exceptional. He spent his formative years in Hong Kong until traveling to Bowling Green, Ohio, for college, and then to St. Louis, Missouri, for dental school. His elderly parents still reside in Hong Kong and he travels there often to visit. His father-in-law, Sheng Cheng, now deceased, is a legend in his hometown of Iching, China. Sent to France to learn agriculture, he later became a political activist and kept company with the likes of Ernest Hemingway, Pablo Picasso and Charles DeGaulle. He was a poet and best-selling author. His 1928 novel, Ma Mère, now in its 40th edition and translated into six languages, was instrumental in bridging European and Chinese cultures.

An avid photographer, Dr. Cheuk has traveled the world with his lifelong companion and wife, Phenix. His four children, Joan, Gina, Julia, and Sherwin, are all accomplished—a physician, a veterinarian, a dentist and a PhD in organic chemistry. "All that I have and have achieved dims in the light of my children's successes," he said. "I am so grateful."