Wendy Chen, MD, MS

Biography

Dr. Wendy Chen, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. She attended the University of California at Los Angeles where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and minored in East Asian Languages and Cultures (Japanese concentration) and Public Health. She then earned a Masters of Science in Physiology from Georgetown University, and spent a year at the National Institutes of Health research post-mastectomy lymphedema. Dr. Chen received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where she was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Society. She then completed an integrated Plastic Surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which was recently ranked #1 on Doximity. During residency, she spent an additional year in the basic science laboratory investigating whole eye microsurgical allotransplantation under the direction of Dr. Kia M Washington. Additionally, she pursued elective training in gender affirming surgery at Mount Sinai and Oregon Health Sciences . She then returned to UCLA to complete a Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship jointly through the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and Division of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Chen has passed her written boards and is currently board eligible.

Dr. Chen practices general pediatric plastic surgery with a focus on congenital hand anomalies, brachial plexus, complex extremity microsurgery, and pediatric and adult hand trauma. Outside of the operating room, Dr Chen is passionate about medical education and activism for diversity in surgery, for which she is a frequent national speaker. She has numerous publications and presentations, and has won many awards for her work in clinical, basic science, and education research, including the Inaugural John P. and Kathrine G. McGovern Distinguished Faculty Award in Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (2021-2022).

In her free time, Dr. Chen enjoys travel, food, photography, scuba diving, and the outdoors. She is considering adopting a polydactyl Hemingway cat and naming it “Cat Stevens.” She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.