CHICAGO – The American Medical Association (AMA) today announced the hiring of Frederick M. Chen, M.D., M.P.H., as its new Chief Health and Science Officer. Dr. Chen joins the AMA after serving most recently as professor and vice chair for clinical services in the University of Washington School of Medicine’s Department of Family Medicine, and as chief of family medicine at Harborview Medical Center.
“With his extensive experience in research, clinical practice, and public health, Dr. Chen will be a wonderful addition to the AMA team as we continue to navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, confront misinformation, advocate for science-based public health policies, and help physicians uphold ethics of the medical profession,” said James L. Madara, M.D., AMA Chief Executive Officer and Executive Vice President.
“I am excited to join the AMA team at this important and challenging time for public health in our country and world,” said Dr. Chen. “The COVID-19 pandemic exposed critical gaps in our systems and infrastructures that revealed deep inequities in health and access to care. I’m eager to get started as we strive to improve the health of the nation and continue to work toward optimal health for all.”
In addition to serving for more than two decades as faculty at the University of Washington School of Medicine, Dr. Chen served as senior advisor in the Bureau of Health Professions at the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). In this role, Dr. Chen helped establish HRSA’s Teaching Health Center program and served as a consultant for Affordable Care Act primary care workforce programs. Dr. Chen has also served on numerous national committees, including the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Healthy People 2010 steering committee and the Secretary’s Advisory Committee on Heritable Disorders in Newborns and Children. He serves on several journal editorial boards and recently completed his term as President of the Society of Teachers of Family Medicine.
Dr. Chen has also helped develop numerous courses and programs aimed at training future physicians in family medicine, health policy and public health, and directed one of the largest family medicine residency networks, spanning five states and more than 30 programs. Additionally, Dr. Chen has led a variety of research studies and contributed to more than 75 medical journal articles and publications on topics ranging from rural health to bioterrorism preparedness and genomics.
Dr. Chen earned a B.S. in biology from Emory University, an M.P.H. in epidemiology from the University of California, Berkeley, and earned his M.D. from the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. Dr. Chen completed both his residency in family medicine, as well as the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, at the University of Washington. He was also a Kerr White Visiting Scholar in the Center for Primary Care Research at the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, and completed a fellowship in public health policy at the University College London’s School of Public Policy.
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About the American Medical Association
The American Medical Association is the physicians’ powerful ally in patient care. As the only medical association that convenes 190+ state and specialty medical societies and other critical stakeholders, the AMA represents physicians with a unified voice to all key players in health care. The AMA leverages its strength by removing the obstacles that interfere with patient care, leading the charge to prevent chronic disease and confront public health crises and, driving the future of medicine to tackle the biggest challenges in health care.
