Yen-Ching Chen, ScD (Harvard)
Primary tabs
JAD profile
Associate Editor
Term Expiration:
12/31/2026
Affiliation(s):
Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine; National Taiwan University
ORCID URL:
Areas of Interest:
mild cognitive impairment, dementia, Aging and Cognition, epidemiology, biomarkers, Alzheimer's disease, neurodegeneration
Biography & Research:
Prof. Yen-Ching (Karen) Chen received her Sc.D. (2001) from Harvard School of Public Health. After graduation, her postdoctoral training was at Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School. Currently, she is a Full Professor of Institute of Epidemiology and Preventive Medicine, and Associate Director of Department of Public Health, College of Public Health (CEPH accredited), National Taiwan University (NTU), Taipei, Taiwan. She is also the Joint Appointment Professor of Master Program in Statistics and Research Fellow of Genetic Epidemiology Core Laboratory at NTU. Prof. Chen’s research interest includes geriatric epidemiology (dementia, cognition), human genome epidemiology (dementia and prostate cancer), and environmental epidemiology with extensive collaboration with clinicians and scientists from multidisciplines.
In 2015, Prof. Chen’s research team found that long-term (>20 years) exposure to air pollutants under the guideline of Environmental Protective Administration was associated with increased risk of Alzheimer’s disease and vascular dementia. Because of different diet habit, for the first time, they identified dietary patterns related to cognitive impairment in Taiwanese older adults. Her lab also found a non-linear association between retinal ganglion cell–inner plexiform layer thickness and the risk of cognitive impairment, which has not been reported before. Up to date, Prof. Chen has published over 70 peer-reviewed book chapters and journals on related topics and more multidisciplinary research are undergoing.
Prof. Chen has served as academic committee of various workshops and conferences. She is the member of the Alzheimer’s Association International Society to Advance Research and Treatment (ISTAART). She continues receiving the Academic Achievement Award of NTU since 2009. In the past decade, she has been Principal Investigator (PI) and Co-PI of several 3-year projects on dementia and cognition in older adults funded by the Ministry of Science and Technology, Taiwan.
