Obituary: Lena M. Chen ’87

1987

Lena M. Chen, on July 21, 2019, unexpectedly of catastrophic illness. A four-year student from Windsor, Conn., Lena was president of the Asian Club, was inducted into the Cum Laude Society, and was on the cross country team. She earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and worked as a reporter for The Hartford Courant and then as a management consultant. Lena missed interacting with hospital patients as she had done during her studies, so she decided to pursue a medical degree at University of Pennsylvania. A commitment to establishing the highest quality standards of patient care motivated Lena’s notable career as physician, scientist, educator, and advisor to federal health policy leaders. After completing her medical residency at UPenn and working at Johns Hopkins University, where she became director of the Hospitalist Program, Lena returned to Harvard to earn a master’s degree in health policy and management. She joined Michigan Medicine at University of Michigan in 2009, where she became known for her kindness and compassion in her care of hospital patients and in her mentoring of younger physicians and medical students. On the University of Michigan faculty, Lena was a clinical lecturer and became a member of the Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation, which is dedicated to bringing together health services researchers and public policy experts to collaborate on ways to improve healthcare delivery and public health. Because of her expertise in medicine and public policy, Lena was invited to work in Washington, D.C., as an advisor to the deputy assistant secretary in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services in 2015. At the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation, Lena’s work focused on understanding how changes in federal laws and programs affected the lives of individual patients. She became a national leader in health services research that informed health policy. With her ability to communicate with researchers from across diverse disciplines, including doctors, economists, scientists, and policy-makers, Lena played a key role in leading significant studies and launching important projects in her public service work. She was part of a team that in 2016 received the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary’s Award for Meritorious Services. Lena returned to University of Michigan in 2018 and was named to the tenured position of associate professor of internal medicine. She continued in a consulting role at the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation. Lena was a member of the health services research professional society AcademyHealth, the Society of General Internal Medicine, and the Society of Hospital Medicine. She authored or co-authored numerous peer-reviewed research articles and spoke on her research at a range of conferences. According to the family obituary, Lena was happiest when she worked in Washington, D.C., because she “was able to combine her deep interests in both patient care and federal policy in the form of public service.” A beloved daughter, sister, aunt, and friend, Lena was survived by her parents, Jong and Mei Chen; her sister, Pauline Chen Halsey ’82, who is a Loomis Chaffee Trustee, and brother-in-law, Woody Halsey; her brother, Michael Chen ’92, and sister-in-law, Grace Lee; her cousin Oliver Chen ’96; and her nieces and nephews, including Elinor, Meredith, and Lucas Chen and Loomis Chaffee seniors Isabelle Halsey and Natalie Halsey. A memorial service and celebration of Lena’s life was held at First Church of Windsor in Windsor, Conn., on July 21, 2019. The family requests that donations in Lena’s name may be made to: The Loomis Chaffee School for the Lena M. Chen, M.D. Faculty Prize for Mentoring.