Chinese minister of health, Dr. Chen Zhu, is set to receive an honorary degree this week from the Mount Sinai School of Medicine.

Dr. Chen, 55, a hematologist who began his career as a medic in rural China, will travel to New York to accept the award, to be conferred at the school's graduation ceremony on Wednesday. Appointed in 2007, Dr. Chen is seen as an agent of change among health experts, who said he has advocated for increased transparency in the wake of the 2003 SARS epidemic, as well as for better access to health care across China.

During his visit, Dr. Chen also will be recognized for his contributions in the field of cancer research. He will be feted by the Samuel Waxman Cancer Research Foundation, housed at Mount Sinai, at a luncheon tomorrow at the United Nations. The foundation, which is focused on developing treatments that "reprogram" cancer cells, this year is marking 25 years of collaboration with Dr. Chen and the Shanghai Institute of Hematology.

"He's a real straight shooter person who wants to do the job properly," the foundation's director, Dr. Samuel Waxman, said during a recent interview at his office.