Family Values

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ike their alma mater, the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Jen-Ling Chen, M.D., Ph.D. ’81, and sons Chris Chen, M.D. ’00, and Gordon Chen, M.D. ’05, are passionate about reducing health disparities and improving lives in medically underserved communities. This shared vision inspired their $3 million gift to establish the Chen Family Endowed Chair to Advance Primary Care and Health Equity Research.

The Chen Family Foundation’s endowment will enable the Miller School’s Department of Medicine to recruit a leader with extensive expertise in primary and population health care. That expert will be tasked with researching and improving the way primary care is delivered and health equity is advanced throughout South Florida.

“The unique UHealth, Miller School and Jackson Health System partnership that cares for one of the most racially and socioeconomically diverse populations in the U.S. is the perfect place to build the beachhead for this movement in academia,” said Dr. Chris Chen, CEO of ChenMed, a concierge-style health care practice that strives to be America’s leading primary care provider, transforming care for the neediest populations.

“We are excited about the establishment of this new chair, which will enhance how we can make primary care accessible to all members of our community, developing new models of compassionate delivery,” said Roy E. Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., chair of the Department of Medicine, the Rabbi Morris I. Esformes Endowed Chair in Medicine and Endocrinology, the Kathleen and Stanley Glaser Distinguished Chair, and chief medical officer for ambulatory services for UHealth.

Dr. Chen credits the valuable training he received at the Miller School serving a heterogenous demographic for preparing him for his career. “Doctors who come out of programs with a strong urban presence such as UM do a great job of making people better.”

UNIVERSITY OF MIAMI MEDICINE

FALL 2022