About

Earl Y Cheng is the Chief of Pediatric Urology in the Department of Urology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. He holds the position of Founders’ Board Professor of Urology and is also a Professor of Urology with a focus on Pediatric Urology. His role involves leadership within the department, and he is associated with the Center for Reproductive Science and the Stanley Manne Children's Research Institute. The page indicates his involvement in pediatric urology, emphasizing his expertise in this specialized field, although specific research interests or contributions are not detailed in the provided text.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Surgery
• Internal medicine
• Pediatrics
• Pathology
• Biomedical engineering
• Medical physics
• Gerontology
• Operations management
• General surgery
• Urology
• Psychology
• Gynecology

Selected publications

• Health Literacy Trends and Associations with Transition Readiness in Youth with Spinal Dysraphism

  SSRN Electronic Journal · 2026-01-01

  preprintOpen access
  PublisherDOI

• Differences of sex development

  Nature Reviews Disease Primers · 2025-07-31 · 9 citations

  review
  PublisherDOI

• Parent perspectives about pediatric urology telemedicine visits before and after COVID-19-driven rapid implementation

  UNC Libraries · 2025-05-09

  articleOpen access

  Telemedicine is now a critical healthcare delivery modality. Prior studies of telemedicine in pediatric urology are lacking parent/patient perspectives. This study aims to assess interest in and factors associated with willingness to participate in telemedicine, and to compare perceptions of telemedicine before and after pandemic-related implementation. This was a cross-sectional study of parents of pediatric urology patients that attended in-person clinic visits (Pre-Telemedicine cohort; January-March 2020) and telemedicine visits (Post-Telemedicine cohort; April-July 2020). The response rates were 83.4% (Pre-Telemedicine, N =205) and 32.5% (Post-Telemedicine, N =89). Overall, most parents had a college or graduate level degree (71.9%), private insurance (71.6%), and a plurality were 36-40 years old (30.7%). Their children were mostly white (68.9%), 23.7% were Hispanic/Latino, and the median patient age was 3.3 years (range: 0.1–32.1). There were no demographic differences between the Pre-and-Post-Telemedicine sub-groups. Most (84.3%) were willing to participate in a new, follow-up, or post-operative telemedicine visit. There were no associations between demographics and willingness. Comfort in video visits without a physical exam (3.23% Unwilling vs 38.2% Willing, = <0.001), comfort with technology (22.6% vs 71.6%, p = <0.001), belief that quality of care is similar between telemedicine and in-person visits (3.23% vs 24.0%, p = <0.001), and estimated costs from in-person visits (6.67% vs 30.3%, p = 0.004) were all positively associated with willingness. Most indicated that telemedicine met their needs (88.6%), and that they were satisfied with the both the quality of technology used (83%) and the interaction with the urologist (89.9%) during the telemedicine visit. In reference to the Pre-Telemedicine respondents, Post-Telemedicine respondents more frequently strongly agreed that telemedicine is as private (51.5% vs 77.5%, p = <0.001), secure (49.5% vs 66.3%, p = 0.02), and complete (33.2% vs 51.1%, p = 0.02) as in-person visits. Most parents had high willingness to participate and positive perceptions of telemedicine prior to the COVID-19 era. Factors associated with willingness were elucidated. Families that participated in telemedicine reduced direct costs and saved time. Lastly, these results suggest that confidence in telemedicine had increased after experience with telemedicine. These data support continued telemedicine access and coverage/reimbursement beyond the pandemic.

  PublisherDOI

• Practice patterns in the care of proximal hypospadias among pediatric urologists

  Journal of Pediatric Urology · 2025-03-06 · 2 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Diagnostic Test Characteristics of Ultrasound-Based Hydronephrosis for Chronic Kidney Disease in Children and Adolescents With Myelomeningocele: Results From the UMPIRE and National Spina Bifida Patient Registry Cohort Studies

  The Journal of Urology · 2025-02-07 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  PURPOSE: Renal ultrasounds are performed in patients with myelomeningocele to screen for markers of kidney health, including hydronephrosis. We evaluated the diagnostic accuracy of hydronephrosis to screen for low kidney function defined by estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR). MATERIALS AND METHODS: , calculated using the bedside Schwartz formula. Hydronephrosis was dichotomized into any/none. We calculated sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of any hydronephrosis using eGFR as the reference standard. RESULTS: In UMPIRE, 221 patients were included with median age 2.4 years (IQR, 1.9-3.8) and 24% having eGFR < 90. Any hydronephrosis vs none conferred a sensitivity/specificity/PPV/NPV of 25%/75%/24%/77%, respectively. In NSBPR, 2269 patients were included with median age 13 years (IQR, 9.6-16.3) and 17% having eGFR < 90. Any hydronephrosis vs none conferred a sensitivity/specificity/PPV/NPV of 24%/87%/26%/85%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: . This low sensitivity suggests that hydronephrosis alone is a poor screening marker of kidney health.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Role of endocrine and genetic evaluation for infants with proximal hypospadias

  Journal of Pediatric Urology · 2025-04-26 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Audit of Outcomes in Parotidectomy Procedures has Strengthened the Need for a Formal Procedure

  International Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery · 2025-06-24

  article1st authorCorresponding
  PublisherDOI

• Decision-making experiences in gonadectomy and gonadal tissue cryopreservation for adolescents/young adults and parents of individuals with differences of sex development: A qualitative study

  Journal of Pediatric Urology · 2025-07-16

  articleOpen access

  BACKGROUND: Our institution offers experimental gonadal tissue cryopreservation (GTC) at the time of prophylactic gonadectomy for malignancy risk for individuals with differences of sex development (DSD). Decisions about GTC are challenging for numerous reasons: the experimental nature of the procedure and uncertainty of future reproductive success, costs, possibility of heritability of the condition, and possible discordance between gender identity and germ cells. OBJECTIVE: In this qualitative study, we sought to examine gonadectomy and GTC decision-making experiences of parents and patients to inform future healthcare needs in DSD. STUDY DESIGN: Adolescents/young adults (AYA) with a DSD diagnosis at increased risk for gonadal tumor who underwent gonadectomy at ≥11 years and parents of individuals with DSD who underwent gonadectomy at any age were recruited. Semi-structured interviews were conducted and analyzed using an iterative inductive-deductive approach between 2022 and 2023. Participants were asked about the decision-making experience for both gonadectomy and GTC and completed a demographic survey and the validated Holmes-Rovner Satisfaction with Decision Scale. Decisional influences (emotional, informational, and contextual factors shaping participant choices) were identified and thematically synthesized. RESULTS: 18 participants were included (7 AYA, 6 parents of AYA, 5 parents of young children). Median age of AYA participants was 19 years at interview and 16.7 years at gonadectomy. 57 % (4/7) of AYA and 72 % (8/11) of parent participants self-reported a decision to cryopreserve gonadal tissue prior to gonadectomy. We identified four major themes of the decision-making experience: 1) decisional recall, 2) decisional satisfaction, 3) decisional influences, and 4) hope and options. Overall, participants had difficulty in separating gonadectomy and GTC decisions in the interviews. Three participants incorrectly remembered their tissue disposition decision. Decisional satisfaction was high for AYA and parents. Decisional influences were categorized into 6 subthemes: medical, personal and family, trust and support, social and environmental, logistical and practical, and outcomes and expectations. Across interviews, participants described the role (both positive and negative) of options and hope in decision-making. DISCUSSION: Participant perspectives demonstrate the complexity of personal and proxy decision-making surrounding gonadectomy and GTC in DSD. Limitations of this study include the small eligible participant pool and findings from a single institution with this experimental protocol. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings highlight the importance of engaging patients and families in shared decision-making, aligning personal goals with values. These decisions carry significant emotional and cognitive burdens, underscoring the need for multidisciplinary care inclusive of psychological support and continuous, structured discussions throughout the care continuum.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Exploratory factor analysis of the Illness Intrusiveness Rating Scale for parents of children with atypical genital appearance due to differences of sex development (DSD)

  Journal of Pediatric Psychology · 2024-04-05 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: Illness intrusiveness refers to the subjective cognitive appraisal of a chronic health condition interfering in daily, valued activities and may be highly relevant for parents of children with atypical genital appearance due to differences of sex development (DSD). However, a measure of illness intrusiveness has not been validated for this population. The current study aimed to evaluate the factor structure of the Illness Intrusiveness Scale for Parents (IIS-P) and examine convergent validity. METHODS: Participants included 102 parents (Mage = 33.39 years, SD = 6.48; 58% mothers) of 65 children (<2 years old) diagnosed with DSD participating in a larger, longitudinal study. Parents completed the IIS-P as well as self-report measures of stigma, and anxious and depressive symptoms. An exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was conducted. RESULTS: EFA results supported a 1-factor intrusiveness solution (α = .93), as well as a 2-factor solution measuring intrusiveness on daily living (α = .92) and community connectedness (α = .85). The 1-factor solution and both factors of the 2-factor solution demonstrated significant convergent validity with stigma as well as anxious and depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: Support emerged for both 1- and 2-factor solutions of the IIS-P in parents of children with DSD. The decision to evaluate illness intrusiveness as a total score or to examine the subscales of daily living and community connectedness should be tailored to the unique aims of researchers and clinicians. Future research should conduct a confirmatory factor analysis with both 1- and 2-factor models with larger, more diverse samples of caregivers.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Trajectories of illness uncertainty among parents of children with atypical genital appearance due to differences of sex development

  Journal of Pediatric Psychology · 2024-06-10 · 1 citations

  articleOpen access

  OBJECTIVE: The present study aimed to identify distinct trajectories of parental illness uncertainty among parents of children born with atypical genital appearance due to a difference of sex development over the first year following diagnosis. It was hypothesized that four trajectory classes would emerge, including "low stable," "high stable," "decreasing," and "increasing" classes, and that select demographic, familial, and medical factors would predict these classes. METHODS: Participants included 56 mothers and 43 fathers of 57 children born with moderate to severe genital atypia. Participants were recruited from eleven specialty clinics across the U.S. Growth mixture modeling (GMM) approaches, controlling for parent dyad clustering, were conducted to examine classes of parental illness uncertainty ratings over time. RESULTS: A three-class GMM was identified as the best-fitting model. The three classes were interpreted as "moderate stable" (56.8%), "low stable" (33.0%), and "declining" (10.3%). Findings suggest possible diagnostic differences across trajectories. CONCLUSIONS: Findings highlight the nature of parents' perceptions of ambiguity and uncertainty about their child's diagnosis and treatment the year following their child's birth/diagnosis. Future research is needed to better understand how these trajectories might shift over the course of the child's development. Results support the development of tailored, evidence-based interventions to address coping with uncertainty among families raising a child with chronic health needs.

  PublisherOA PDFDOI

Recent grants

• Comp B-National Spina Bifida Registry-Lurie Children's Hospital

  NIH · $327k · 2014–2019

• Comp C-Urological Managment of Newborns with Spina Bifida

  NIH · $101k · 2014–2019

• NIH Grant R21DK072450

  NIH · $402k · 2008

Frequent coauthors

• Elizabeth B. Yerkes

  186 shared

• William E. Kaplan

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  173 shared

• Bradley P. Kropp

  Oklahoma State University Oklahoma City

  154 shared

• Max Maizels

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  141 shared

• PETER D. FURNESS

  University of Colorado Health

  103 shared

• Emilie K. Johnson

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  92 shared

• Theresa Meyer

  Lurie Children's Hospital

  80 shared

• Dix P. Poppas

  Weill Cornell Medicine

  75 shared