Alumni stories

Catherine Chen, MD, MPH

Woman with long black hair wearing a purple sweater and smiling with her hands folded.


I am currently an Associate Professor in the UCSF Department of Anesthesia and Perioperative Care and Core Faculty at the Philip R. Lee Institute for Health Policy Studies at UCSF. As an anesthesiologist and health services researcher, my primary research goal is to optimize the quality and value of care patients receive during the perioperative period.

My path to medicine and anesthesiology was non-traditional, but these experiences have contributed to my current research interests and professional success. I majored in English at Rice University and worked in investment banking before applying to medical school. After completing my MD and MPH at Johns Hopkins, I was thrilled to match as one of the first two residents to participate in the newly established UCSF Anesthesia Resident Research Scholars pathway (now known as the Anesthesiology Innovative Research Residency, or AIRR).

As a medical student, I knew that I wanted to pursue a career as a physician-scientist, so I was immediately drawn to UCSF because of the outstanding clinical training as well as the dedicated research time built into the Research Scholars program. I still remember the extended interview day for the research track applicants and being impressed with everyone I met, including the residents and both research and non-research faculty. Coming into residency as a mother to a young toddler, I was also excited to be moving much closer to my husband and my extended families in the Bay Area.

My success as a researcher is especially attributable to our department’s long-term commitment to and understanding of how to nurture physician-scientist careers with protected time, strong mentorship, and research funding. I obtained my first research grant from the Foundation for Anesthesia Education and Research (FAER) during my CA-2 year, followed by a FAER Mentored Research Training Grant during my first year on faculty and most recently an NIH K23 career development award from the National Institute on Aging. Over the last 13 years, I have steadily built my research program from a single resident research project into an entire research portfolio. I primarily use multimethod approaches including retrospective observational studies using administrative claims, electronic health records, and registry data as well as qualitative research methods and randomized controlled trials to better understand the current and future landscape of anesthesia care for cataract surgery. Along the way, I have also studied perioperative opioid stewardship, sustainable anesthesia practices, and career advancement challenges for women and minorities in academic medicine. My work has been published in high-impact journals including the New England Journal of Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, Ophthalmology, JAMA Ophthalmology, and Pediatrics.

I am incredibly grateful to UCSF Anesthesia for giving me everything I ever wanted in a professional career. I love working alongside brilliant clinical and research colleagues every day, as well as having opportunities to teach and mentor residents and medical students. While people sometimes joke that UCSF stands for “U Can Stay Forever,” UCSF Anesthesia’s clinical and research excellence, leadership in perioperative sustainability and physician well-being, and culture that celebrates diversity, equity, and inclusion make it easy for me to want to stay. My husband and I now have three daughters, and we feel lucky to be able to call San Francisco our home.

Catherine L. Chen, MD, MPH
Class of 2015

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