FACULTY SPOTLIGHT
From China to Canada and beyond:
An inside scoop to Dr. Zhong-Ping Feng’s career, collaborations, and contributions By Kenya Costa-Dookhan
W
hile her twitter bio states she is a lover of nature and philosophy, Dr. Zhong-Ping Feng’s passions extend far beyond these and into the realms of teaching, researching, and leading. Dr. Feng is a tenured full professor at the University of Toronto, and basic science researcher, and was a medical doctor prior to her career in academia. Within her pre-clinical laboratory at the Department of Physiology, her research, funded by CIHR and NSERC, has focused on ion channels and their roles in neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorders, thus identifying new drug targets for neuroprotection. Dr. Feng first completed her MD at ZhongShan Medical College in 28 | IMS MAGAZINE WINTER 2020 NEPHROLOGY
Guangzhou followed by a residency in Ophthalmology at Peking Union Hospital at Beijing, in China. During her time as a resident and throughout her fulltime practice, she came to appreciate the disparity for cures to various eye disorders. The lack of therapeutic options available inspired her to pursue exploring new approaches through basic science research and led her to Canada to begin her training as a medical researcher. She received an MSc in Cardiovascular Pharmacology from the University of Alberta followed by a PhD and postdoctoral training in Neuroscience from the University of Calgary. One aspect which has been central to her success and the success of those surrounding her has been her commitment to mentorship. From her experiences transitioning
from a mentee to mentor, she stresses the essential components of building a strong relationship between the two are enthusiasm, passion, effective communication, and collaboration, noting that many of these are also key characteristics to being a good scientist. While collaboration within a university is powerful, what can often be more impactful is collaboration among different universities, especially on the international level. Along with joining the IMS this year, Dr. Feng has also taken on the role of Director of International Development for the IMS, with the goal in mind being to improve the international community of the IMS. She especially understands both the importance and untapped potential of initiatives aimed to
