Jonathan Cheng

Dr. Jonathan Cheng is an Associate Professor of Plastic Surgery and Chief of Pediatric Hand, Peripheral Nerve, and Microvascular Surgery at UT Southwestern Medical Center. He specializes in complex limb reconstruction, pediatric hand surgery, and peripheral nerve regeneration. His research focuses on neural interfaces for prosthetic control and bioelectronic medicine. Dr. Cheng received his MD from Baylor College of Medicine, completed residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, and a fellowship at Washington University in St. Louis. He is affiliated with Children’s Medical Center Dallas and leads the Cheng Lab, investigating peripheral nerve regeneration and translational therapies.

Education:

• Bachelor’s in Chemical Physics (Rice University)
• MD (Baylor College of Medicine)
• Residency in Plastic Surgery (Medical College of Wisconsin)
• Fellowship in Hand/Microvascular Surgery (Washington University)

Research Interests:

• Long-gap nerve regeneration
• Nerve-machine interfaces
• Peripheral nerve reconstruction
• Microvascular surgery

Publications highlight advancements in neuroprosthetics, deep learning for motor intent decoding, and anatomical studies of peripheral nerves. Awards include Fellowship of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). He collaborates with biomedical engineers to develop implantable neural systems and leads clinical trials for fascicular targeting techniques. The Cheng Lab also explores detergent-free nerve grafts and novel drug screening for nerve repair.