Dr. Che is the Harry H.S. Fong Professor of Pharmacognosy in the Department of Pharmaceutical Sciences at the University of Illinois at Chicago (UIC). He also serves as the director of the World Health Organization Collaborating Center for Herbal Medicines at UIC. Prior to joining UIC as the first Norman R. Farnsworth Professor of Pharmacognosy in 2010, he was the director of the School of Chinese Medicine at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

Trained as a pharmacognosist, Dr. Che has a broad background in the botany, chemistry, biology, and pharmacology of Chinese medicines and natural products. During his 40-year career as a researcher and educator, he focuses his research on plant chemistry and the biological activities of secondary metabolites. He is also knowledgeable about the authentication, quality assessment, and ethnomedical applications of medicinal plants.

Over 320 scientific papers have been published to his credit, mostly addressing the following areas: (1) Discovery of novel substances or botanical preparations with potential pharmaceutical applications; (2) Establishment of quality assurance methodologies and standardization of plant-based preparations; (3) Providing chemical and pharmacological evidence to support the modern use of traditional medicines.