Vicky Chen, MB, FRCPC

Professor
Pathology and Molecular Medicine

Division: Anatomical Pathology

Department Education Coordinator

St. Joseph's Hospital
Hamilton, Ontario
905-522-1155 ext. 35010
vchen@mcmaster.ca

Faculty Biography

Education and Professional Standing

FRCPC, Anatomical Pathology, 1978
FRCPC, General Pathology, 1977
MB, University of Hong Kong, 1970

Interests

Graduated from University of Hong Kong, Dr. Chen received most of her postgraduate training in Canada and got her qualifications as a pathologist in the late 70s. She has been on staff at St. Joseph's Hospital in Hamilton with a joint university appointment at McMaster since 1983. She is currently the site supervisor of the Anatomic Pathology laboratory.

Her areas of interest in Anatomic Pathology include Diagnostic Cytopathology, Head and Neck Pathology and Hematopathology. She serves as the regional consultant in these areas. In 2002, Dr. Chen received an Honorary Life Membership from the Canadian Society of Cytology in recognition of her many contributions to the Canadian Cytology scene.

Dr. Chen loves teaching. For over 15 years she was actively involved with residency education, first as a program director for General Pathology, then as a program coordinator of Laboratory Medicine Residency Training. Though a graduate from a traditional medical school she has slowly but surely become a convert to the McMaster adult education model of problem-based, group-based and self-directed learning process. To her Medicine is as much an art as it is a science. She emphasizes good history and physical examination repeatedly among her undergraduate medical students. She also believes that microscopic examination is only a small part in the course of diagnosis of diseases. The patient must be taken as a whole and health care professionals work as a team.

After work she enjoys spending time alone as well as with her family and friends. She is an active member of Holy Rosary Roman Catholic Church in Burlington. Boredom is an unknown territory.

Selected Publications

Chen, V., HRLMP Quarterly Newsletter, On Reporting of FNA Thyroid, Oct 2003

Lovrics PJ, Chen V, Coates G, Cornachi SD, Goldsmith C, Law C, Levine M, Sanders K, Tandan VR. A prospective comparison of positron emission tomography scanning, sentinel lymph node biopsy and axillary dissection in staging patients with early stage breast cancer. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2002; 76(suppl1): S129.

Lovrics PJ, Chen V, Coates G, Cornacchi SD, Goldsmith C, Hong D, Law C, Tandan VR. Feasibility and responsiveness of utility measurement in breast cancer patients: a prospective study. Breast Cancer Research and Treatment. 2002; 76(suppl1): S140.

Book/Chapter

Guides to Clinical Aspiration Biopsy - Head and Neck, 2nd edition, 1996. V. Chen, A.H. Qizilbash, J.E.M. Young. Igaku-Shoin, publisher, U.S.A.