Continental Who's Who

William Y. Chey, MD, MSc, DSc

William Y. Chey, MD, MSc, DSc, is being recognized by Continental Who’s Who as a Pinnacle Lifetime Achiever in the field of Medicine as a Retired Gastroenterologist.

Leading an impressive career for over five decades, Dr. Chey is revered for his countless contributions to the field of gastroenterology and hepatology. Now retired, he remains the “go to” gastroenterologist in upstate New York for challenging tertiary and quaternary care patients. He served numerous clinical roles, as well as educational. He was the founding director of the Isaac Gordon Center for Digestive Diseases and Nutrition at the Genesee Hospital and William and Sheila Konar Center for Digestive and Liver Diseases at University of Rochester Medical Center.

As an academician, Dr. Chey shared his breadth of expertise to myriads of students, having a profound impact on current providers. In 1960, he started teaching gastroenterology and hepatology as a faculty member at Temple University Medical Center, ascending to the ranks of associate professor of internal medicine. In 1971, he was recruited to serve as a professor of medicine at the University of Rochester, School of Medicine and Dentistry and the Genesee Hospital in Rochester.

In preparation for his career, Dr. Chey earned a medical degree in 1953 from one of the top sixty medical schools globally, Seoul National University College of Medicine (SNUCM). He then trained on internal medicine at City Hospital of New York, pathology at Mount Sinai Hospital in NYC, and the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), Graduate School of Medicine. He was awarded a fellowship in gastroenterology and hepatology at the Jersey City Medical Center, Seton Hall University School of Medicine and Dentistry and Temple University Medical Center. Advancing his education beyond the archetypal scope, he earned a Master’s degree in Gastroenterology and a Doctorate degree in Internal Medicine both at UPenn.

Remaining abreast of the latest developments, Dr. Chey has maintained affiliations with numerous organizations, including the American College of Gastroenterology (ACG) and the American Pancreatic Association (APA) where he served as president in 2000. A member of the American Gastroenterological Association (AGA), he is distinguished as one of the first Asian members.

A pillar in the medical community, Dr. Chey has published more than three-hundred peer-reviewed reports, two books, and many book chapters. His work has had hundreds of citations, including “Mega-Cecum: An Unrecognized Cause of Symptoms in Some Female Patients with Uro-Gynecological Symptoms and Severe Slow Transit Constipation” and “Primary Pancreatic Secretinoma: Further Evidence Supporting Secretin as a Diarrheogenic Hormone”. On top of these accomplishments, he is a frequent invitee at national and international scientific meetings, presenting more than four-hundred abstracts.

Outside of his professional life, Dr. Chey enjoys reading and spending time with his family.

Dr. Chey dedicates this recognition to his wife Fan, four children, and nine grandchildren.