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Department Pain Management
Primary Location Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Type of Doctor Adults Only
Languages Chinese, English
Surgeon No
Locations
Cleveland Clinic Main Campus
Primary Location

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

Appointment:
216.445.7370
Desk:
216.445.9572
Fax:
216.444.9890

Additional Locations

Neurosciences

Cleveland Clinic Main Campus

9500 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH 44195
Directions

Appointment:
216.445.7370
Desk:
216.445.9572
Fax:
216.444.9890
Specialties & Treatments

Treatment & Services

  • Acute Postoperative Pain Management
  • Back Pain Treatment
  • Celiac Plexus Block
  • Cervical Epidural Injections
  • Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar Facet Joint Blocks
  • Cervical, Thoracic and Lumbar Radiofrequency Ablation
  • Diagnostic Epidural Differential Blocks
  • Discograms
  • Epidural Steroid Injection
  • Epiduroscopy
  • Facet Median Nerve Branch Block
  • Implantable Intrathecal Drug Delivery Systems
  • Implantable Spinal Cord Stimulator Therapy
  • Intradiscal Procedure for Pain Relief
  • Intradiscal Intervention (IDET, Biacuplasty)
  • Intrathecal Baclofen Pump
  • Joint Injections
  • Lumbar Epidural Injections
  • Neck Pain Treatment
  • Neuromodulation
  • Occipital Nerve Block
  • Occipital Nerve Stimulation
  • Pain Management
  • Pain Medicine
  • Peripheral Nerve Blocks
  • Placement of Cervical Tunneled Epidural Catheter
  • Placement of Lumbar Tunneled Epidural Catheter
  • Regional Anesthesia
  • Rheumatoid Arthritis: How to Treat
  • Second Opinion Neuropathic Pain
  • Selective Nerve Root Injection
  • Spinal Cord Stimulation
  • Splanchnic Nerve Block
  • Sympathetic Nerve Blocks
  • Thoracic Epidural Injections
  • Trigeminal Nerve Radiofrequency Ablation
View all 36 Treatment & Services +

Specialty in Diseases & Conditions

  • Abdominal Pain
  • Arthritis
  • Back Pain
  • Back Pain in Athletes
  • Bursitis
  • Cancer Pain
  • Causalgia
  • Central Pain Syndrome
  • Cervical Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Chronic Back Pain
  • Chronic Myofascial Pain (CMP)
  • Chronic Neuropathic Pain
  • Cluster Headaches
  • Coccydynia
  • Complex Regional Pain Syndrome
  • Facet Joint Syndrome
  • Headaches
  • Herniated Disc
  • Interstitial Cystitis
  • Knee Injuries
  • Knee Pain
  • Lumbar Degenerative Disc Disease
  • Musculoskeletal Pain
  • Myofascial Pain Syndrome
  • Neck Pain
  • Nerve Injuries
  • Neuropathic Pain
  • Neuropathy
  • Neuropathy - Diabetic
  • Occipital Headache
  • Orofacial Pain
  • Osteoporosis
  • Pain
  • Painful Joints
  • Painful Peripheral Neuropathies
  • Pediatric Pain
  • Pelvic Pain
  • Peripheral Artery Disease
  • Radiculopathy
  • Raynaud's Phenomenon
  • Reflex Sympathetic Dystrophy (RSD)
  • Sciatica
  • Shingles (Varicella-Zoster Virus)
  • Spasticity
  • Spinal Fractures
  • Spinal Stenosis
  • Spine Pain
  • Spondylitis
  • Spondylolysis
  • Spondylosis
  • Temporomandibular Disorders
  • Tennis Elbow (Lateral Epicondylitis)
  • Tension Headaches
  • Trigeminal Neuralgia
  • Vertebral Compression Fracture
  • Vulvar Pain Syndromes
  • Vulvodynia
  • Whiplash
View all 58 Specialties +
Insurance

Insurance

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Biography

About Jianguo Cheng, MD, PhD

Jianguo Cheng, MD, PhD, is Professor of Anesthesiology and Director of the Cleveland Clinic Multidisciplinary Pain Medicine Fellowship Program. He is past President of American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) and past Chair of the US Section of World Institute of Pain. He served the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Inter-agency Task Force (PMTF) to identify gaps in pain management and make recommendations to the U.S. Congress. Dr. Cheng is member of the National Academy of Medicine (NAM) Action Collaborative on Countering the Opioid Epidemic and member of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Expert Work Group (EWG) to develop, specify, and maintain clinical quality measures. As a clinician, Dr. Cheng was recognized by Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors Inc.), 70 Best Pain Management Physicians in the US (Becker's ASC Review), and Top Doctors (International Association of Anesthesiologists). As a physician investigator, Dr. Cheng has received research grants of more than $4 million from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Department of Defense, and other agencies to conduct basic science, translational, and clinical investigations of stem cells, opioid tolerance, and chronic pain. He has made several innovations/patents and published more than 260 research papers, review articles, abstracts, and book chapters. Dr. Cheng is Safety Officer of Data and Safety Monitoring Board (DSMB), National Institutes of Health/National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases (NIAMS), and member of grant review panels/committees for the NIH and the Department of Defense. As an educator, Dr. Cheng has published two textbooks: Fundamentals of Pain Medicine (Springer-Nature, 2018) and Neuropathic Pain (Oxford University Press, 2019). He has given more than 200 lectures/presentations world-wide. Dr. Cheng directs the largest and one of most prestigious pain medicine training programs in the US and has trained more than 180 clinical pain fellows and postdoctoral research fellows. He is recognized as Best Teacher of the Year, as well as Staff of the Year, of Anesthesiology/Pain Medicine in Cleveland Clinic. His program is the recipient of American Academy of Pain Medicine Pain Medicine Fellowship Excellence Award. In addition, Dr. Cheng has played active leadership roles in the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA), American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA), and American Academy of Regenerative Medicine. He has served as Senior Editor, Associate Editor, and Section Editor for the scientific journals of “Pain Medicine”, “Pain Practice”, and “Pain Physician”. Dr. Cheng was trained in Pain Medicine at Harvard University (Fellowship at Massachusetts General Hospital), Surgery and Anesthesiology at University of Louisville (Residency), Neurology at the Qingdao University, and Neurosciences at the University of Guelph (PhD, Biophysics), University of Manitoba, and University of Alberta (PDF) in Canada.

Dr. Cheng has received more than 60 awards and honors from institutions, societies, and government agencies. Dr. Cheng has extensive research interests and clinical expertise, including the mechanisms and therapeutic strategies of chronic pain, sensory-motor integration in the spinal cord, clinical applications of neuromodulation, and stem cell biology and applications in pain medicine.
Education & Professional Highlights

Education & Professional Highlights

Appointed
2006

Education & Fellowships

Fellowship - Massachusetts General Hospital
Pain Management/Anesthesia
Boston, MA USA
2005

Residency - University of Louisville Hospital
Anesthesiology
Louisville, KY USA
2004

Internship - University of Louisville Hospital
Surgery
Louisville, KY USA
2002

Medical Education - University of Guelph
biophysics and neuroscience
Guelph, Ontario,
1995

Residency - Qingdao Medical College
Neurology
Shandong,
1991

Medical Education - Qingdao Medical College
Bachelor of Medicine
Shandong,
1986

Additional Training

  • Leading in Healthcare Leadership Class, Cleveland Clinic Academy and Board of Governors, Cleveland, Ohio, 08/2009-05/2010.  A 10-month course focusing on leadership in healthcare, human resource management, emotional intelligence, finances, marketing, organizational culture and team building.
  • Program Director Certification Program, Cleveland Clinic Education Institute, Department of Faculty Development, 09/2011-05/2012. Certification of Distinguished Development Award,  September of 2013.
  • PhD, biophysics, Interdepartmental Group of Biophysics and Department of Human Biology, University of Guelph, Ontario, Canada, 1991-1995
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, electrophysiology of neurons: cell membrane and receptors, Department of Physiology/Spinal Cord Research Centre, University of Manitoba Faculty of Medicine, Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, 1995-1996
  • Postdoctoral Fellow, neural control of locomotion: neural networks and therapeutic strategies, Division of Neuroscience/Department of Physiology, University of Alberta Faculty of Medicine, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada, 1996-1998

Professional Highlights

  • President of the American Academy of Pain Medicine (2018~-2019)
  • Member, US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Pain Management Best Practices Inter-agency Task Force (PMTF Feb 21, 2018-2019)
  • Member of National Academy of Medicine Action Collaborative on Countering the US Opioid Epidemic, 2018-2022.
  • Member of the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) Expert Work Group (EWG) on the development of the measure evaluating potential opioid overuse. 2016-2021.
  • Chairman, USA Section of World Institute of Pain (2013-2015).
  • Board of Directors, American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) (2014-2020)
  • Board of Directors, American Academy of Regenerative Medicine (AARM) (2016~)
  • Academy of Medicine of Cleveland & Northern Ohio (AMCNO), 2019-2021.
  • Senior Editor/Section Editor, Pain Medicine (Official Journal of American Academy of Pain Medicine), 2015-present)
  • Associate Editor, Pain Practice (Official Journal of World Institute of Pain) (2011-2017)
  • Scientific Advisory Board, the Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA) (2015-2018).
  • Board of Directors, American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM) (2013-present).
  • Chairman, AAPM Scientific Review/Clinical Guideline Committee (2011-present).
  • Member of National Institutes of Health Study sections/Grant review committee (National Institutes of Health Special Emphasis Panel/Scientific Review Group.
  • Expert Reviewer of grant applications to the US Army Medical Research and Material Command, the Scientific Peer Advisory and Review Services division of the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS).
  • Published more than 260 research papers, reviews, book chapters, and abstracts.
  • Received research grants of more than $4 million from the National Institutes of Health, the Department of Defense, the Lisa Dean Moseley Foundation, and other funding agencies.
  • Executive Board Member, Association of Pain Program Directors (2013-2016).
  • Committee Member, American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA) Committee on Pain Medicine (2013-2017) 
  • Committee Member, ASA Educational Track Subcommittee on Pain Medicine (2014~).
  • Pain Medicine Examination Committee, American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA), the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (ABPMR), and the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology (ABPN), (2013-2018) 
  • Examiner, World Institute of Pain, Fellow of Interventional Pain Physicians Board of Examination.
  • Previously worked or studied in Harvard University, University of Louisville, University of Alberta, University of Manitoba, University of Guelph, and Qingdao University.
  • Trained more than 180 postdoctoral fellows, clinical fellows, and clinical research fellows.
  • Received more than 60 honors and awards from institutions, societies, and government agencies.

Certifications

  • Anesthesiology - Pain Medicine

Specialty Interests

abdominal and pelvic pain, Abdominal Pain, abdominal pain and spinal cord stimulation for chronic pain, acute postoperative pain management, anesthesia for orthopedic surgery, back, back neuropathic, Back Pain, back/neck pain, cancer pain, CRP, complex regional pain syndrome, evaluation of back and neck pain, headache and orofacial pain, Headaches, interventional pain management, interventional pain management for back and neck pain, Low Back Pain, management of chronic pain, Neck Pain, neuromodulation, neuropathic, neuropathic pain, pain, pain management, pain management including spine, Pediatric Pain, pelvic pain, reflex sympathetic dystrophy, regional anesthesia, research, spinal cord stimulation, spine, spine pain

Awards & Honors

  • Cheng was recognized by Best Doctors in America (Best Doctors Inc.), 70 Best Pain Management Physicians in the US (Becker's ASC Review), and Top Doctors (International Association of Anesthesiologists), one of 25 Great Physicians in Ohio (Becker's Review), and one of Top 10 Anesthesiologists in Cleveland (Vitals). He has received Life-time Achievement Award (Marquis Who's Who, 2018), Patients' Choice Awards for 5 consecutive years (Vitals), Most Compassionate Doctor Award (Vitals), among more than 60 honors from academic, societal, and governmental agencies. His achievements in education have been commended by the ACGME and the Cleveland Clinic Education Institute and recognized by a Certification of Distinguished Development from the Cleveland Clinic. His pain fellowship program is the recipient of American Academy of Pain Medicine Pain Medicine Fellowship Excellence Award. He was recognized as Staff of the Year Award, Pain Medicine, and Best Teacher Award, Department of Pain Management, Anesthesiology Institute, and the Cleveland Clinic Clinical Achievement Award, announced by Dr. Toby Cosgrove, the President and CEO of Cleveland Clinic Foundation, in his 2012 State of the Cleveland Clinic Address.

Innovations & Patents

  • Dr. Cheng holds two US patents and two technology transfers/licensing. He is recipient of the Cleveland Clinic 2012 and 2007 Inventor Awards for his achievements in effectively treating back pain generated from the sacroiliac joint and his innovations of stem cell therapy for chronic pain and opioid tolerance. He is also the inventor of a wheelchair powered by electrical stimulation of paralyzed leg muscles, designed for patients with spinal cord injury and the elderly.

Memberships

  • Association of University Anesthesiologists (AUA)
  • American Society of Anesthesiologists (ASA)
  • American Academy of Pain Medicine (AAPM)
  • International Association for the Study of Pain
  • Society for Neuroscience (SFN)
  • World Institute of Pain (WIP)
  • Association of Pain Program Directors  (APPD)
Research & Publications

Research & Publications

See publications for Jianguo Cheng, MD, PhD.

(Disclaimer: This search is powered by PubMed, a service of the U.S. National Library of Medicine. PubMed is a third-party website with no affiliation with Cleveland Clinic.)

Industry Relationships

Industry Relationships

Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists may collaborate with the pharmaceutical or medical device industries to help develop medical breakthroughs or provide medical expertise or education. Cleveland Clinic strives to make scientific advances that will benefit patient care and support outside relationships that promise public benefit. In order for the discoveries of Cleveland Clinic physicians' and scientists' laboratories and investigations to benefit the public, these discoveries must be commercialized in partnership with industry. As experts in their fields, Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists are often sought after by industry to consult, provide expertise and education.

To assure professional and commercial integrity in such matters, Cleveland Clinic maintains a program that reviews these collaborations and, when appropriate, puts measures in place to minimize bias that may result from ties to industry. Cleveland Clinic publicly discloses the names of companies when (i) its physicians/scientists receive $5,000 or more per year (or, in rare cases, equity or stock options) for speaking and consulting, (ii) its physicians/scientists serve as a fiduciary, (iii) its physicians/scientists receive or have the right to receive royalties or (iv) its physicians/ scientists hold any equity interest for the physician's/scientist's role as inventor, discoverer, developer, founder or consultant.* In publicly disclosing this information, Cleveland Clinic tries to provide information as accurately as possible about its physicians' and scientists' connections with industry.

As of 2/15/2023, Dr. Cheng has reported the financial relationships with the companies listed below. In general, patients should feel free to contact their doctor about any of the relationships and how the relationships are overseen by Cleveland Clinic. To learn more about Cleveland Clinic's policies on collaborations with industry and innovation management, go to our Integrity in Innovation page.

Royalty Payments. Dr. Cheng receives or has the right to receive royalty payments for inventions or discoveries commercialized through the companies shown below:

  • Springer Nature
  • Boston Scientific Corporation

Public Health Service-Reportable Financial Conflicts of Interest. Cleveland Clinic scientists and physicians engage in basic, translational and clinical research activities, working to solve health problems, enhance patient care and improve quality of life for patients. Interactions with industry are essential to bringing the researchers' discoveries to the public, but can present the potential for conflicts of interest related to their research activities. Click here to view a listing of instances where Cleveland Clinic has identified a Public Health Service (PHS)-Reportable Financial Conflict of Interest and has put measures in place to ensure that, to the extent possible, the design, conduct and reporting of the research is free from bias.

* Cleveland Clinic physicians and scientists subscribe to the guidance presented in the PhRMA Code on Interactions with Healthcare Professionals and the AdvaMed Code of Ethics on Interactions with Health Care Professionals. As such, gifts of substantial value are generally prohibited.

Patient Satisfaction Reviews

64 Patient Satisfaction Reviews

The Patient Satisfaction Rating is an average of all responses to the care provider related questions shown below from our nationally-recognized Press Ganey Patient Satisfaction Survey. Patients that are treated in outpatient or hospital environments may receive different surveys, and the volume of responses will vary by question.

Responses are measured on a scale of 1 to 5 with 5 being the best score.

The comments are submitted by patients and reflect their views and opinions. The comments are not endorsed by and do not necessarily reflect the views of Cleveland Clinic.

Overall Star Ratings
4.5 out of 5
Explains 4.4
Courtesy, Respect & Concern 4.5
Patient Rating of Doctor 4.5

14 Patient Comments

Reviewed on Aug 16, 2023

I have seen Dr Ching for a long time now and has been very understanding and is a very nice doctor to talk to

Reviewed on Jul 26, 2023

Dr Cheng is an elite professional, he is the best physician I could have asked for.

Reviewed on Jul 26, 2023

Dr Cheng is extremely caring

Reviewed on Jul 5, 2023

Dr. Patel was very nice. He was very thorough and knew what he was doing. I received excellent care.

Reviewed on Jul 5, 2023

My medical issue/condition is very complex; I came from Arizona for treatment and did not expect to stay in Ohio for 8 months+; the treatment I have received while under the care of the physicians at CCF has been outstanding; truly exceptional!

Reviewed on May 31, 2023

Dr Cheng with Dr, David Synder were remarkably attentive to my arthritis thoracic pain. Both very professional and remarkably courteous in a way that eased my mental tension over the ceaseless aching pain since 1972. I began seeing Dr. Cheng in 2013, He has always been very attentive to my nagging pain, always trying to find ways to ease my pain.. And his cheer and courtesy to me has never diminished.

Reviewed on Apr 5, 2023

Thank you Dr.Cheng for taking the time explain to me my options for pain management and for being my advocate. Both my husband and I were so appreciative of your hands-on care and your attention to the details in my file and the time you took to put together a plan for me going forward.

Reviewed on Apr 5, 2023

Absolutely will recommend Dr.Cheng! I had a wonderful experience.

Reviewed on Feb 8, 2023

Cleveland clinic and the doctors were very good at what they do and very nice

Reviewed on Feb 8, 2023

Very good doctors assistant

Reviewed on Feb 8, 2023

Dr. Cheng is always courteous, attentive to my complaints and very competent. He's always very friendly and concerned

Reviewed on Sep 7, 2022

Dr. Cheng was excellent. I was impressed by his knowledge about me and the appropriate diagnosis. He clearly explained everything to me.

Reviewed on Sep 7, 2022

Absolutely great Dr Cheng is excellent

Reviewed on Sep 7, 2022

Dr Cheng is excellent

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