Statistical Center for Translational Research in Medicine (SC-TRM)

Dr. Chen is a Professor of Biostatistics and the Founding Director of the Statistical Center for Translational Research in Medicine (SC-TRM) in the Department of Biostatistics, Epidemiology & Informatics at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine. Her research program develops innovative statistical methodology to address emerging challenges in risk prediction and the analysis of real-world healthcare data. Her work focuses on risk model development and evaluation, innovative EHR data analysis, algorithmic fairness, data integration, and efficient study design and sampling under resource constraints. Dr. Chen’s methodological work combines rigorous statistical foundations with careful attention to the complexities of real-world scientific problems, recognizing both the opportunities and limitations inherent in real-world data. Her recent work includes developing principled approaches for evaluating and improving algorithmic fairness, integrating complementary data sources to enhance risk prediction, and quantifying the individualized predictive value of risk factors. Her methodological innovations have enabled advances across a broad range of biomedical and health research areas, including breast cancer risk prediction, health services research, and cardiovascular health.

Dr. Chen’s methodology research has been continuously supported by National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, and National Library of Medicine. Dr. Chen is an elected fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) and the American Statistical Association (ASA).