Women Who Mean Business: Dr. Van Cheng

Dr. Van Cheng, 32, has her own private practice and has already established herself as an expert in the field of medicine. She graduated from Harvard with highest honors and trained in surgery at UCSF. She was then named the first phlebology fellow in the United States, through the UCSD/Scripps fellowship. Cheng is one of just a few Southern Californian doctors to be a member of both the American College of Phlebology, which focuses on the treatment of varicose vein problems, and the American Venous Forum, the nation's most prestigious organization dedicated to the study of venous disorders. In 2007, Cheng was awarded the ACP Walter deGroot Award for excellence in Phlebology. She lectures nationally to physicians and has published many articles on the treatment of varicose veins and other vein disorders. Cheng has written a definitive book on Foam Sclerotherapy that was published in July.

Cheng has long since been a volunteer, ever since her high school days in Chula Vista. Most recently, as part of the American Venous Forum, Cheng offers free screening for deep venous thrombosis (DVT). Published estimates of the incidence of diagnosing DVT in the United States range from 130,000 to 550,000 cases per year, at a cost of $3 billion to $4 billion annually. Cheng is a firm believer in educating all patients about the signs symptoms of DVT, and offers free screening to anyone in San Diego County.