- ABOUT ME
- AREAS OF FOCUS
- EDUCATION & LEADERSHIP
- LOCATIONS & HOSPITALS
- NEWS & PUBLICATIONS
Dr. Chen chose to specialize in radiation oncology because he enjoys the collaborative nature of the specialty – he not only gets to work with nurses, radiation therapists, dosimetrists, and physicists on a daily basis within the radiation oncology department, but he also works with physicians across many different specialties in order to develop the optimal multidisciplinary treatment plan for each patient. In addition, Dr. Chen enjoys the personal relationship that a radiation oncologist gets to develop with each individual patient and their loved ones throughout each patient’s treatment course.
Concurrently with his residency training, Dr. Chen completed a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree, which allowed him to gain an appreciation of aspects of healthcare that are not commonly taught during medical school, such as cost-effectiveness, health equity, and social determinants of health. His MPH training provides him with a more holistic approach to cancer care, which Dr. Chen believes will be essential in the rapidly evolving US healthcare landscape.
Dr. Chen most enjoys the personal relationships that he develops with every patient. He particularly enjoys working closely with each patient to develop treatment goals and share with them the good news (at the end of a treatment course, or during follow-up visits) about the success of a radiation treatment – whether that means that they are cancer-free, or that their quality of life has been greatly improved, for example.
As an avid hiker, Dr. Chen enjoys the wide variety of outdoor recreational opportunities that are available both within the Portland metro area or just a short drive away. He also likes exploring all the great restaurants in town (particularly the Asian restaurants) as well as the wineries in the Portland area. The vibrant, quirky culture of Portland is also a big reason why he enjoys living in the area. Outside of work, Dr. Chen enjoys hiking, exploring new restaurants, cooking, and traveling.
Other Activities
Member, Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health
Areas of Focus
Benign and Malignant Brain Tumors, including Stereotactic Radiosurgery (Gamma Knife)
Lung Cancer
Prostate Cancer
Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy (SBRT)
Breast Cancer
EDUCATION & TRAINING
Residency, Department of Radiation Oncology, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 2022
MPH, Thomas Jefferson University, Philadelphia, PA, 2021
Internship, Department of General Surgery, Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, CA, 2018
MD, University of California, San Diego School of Medicine, La Jolla, CA, 2017
BS, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, CA, 2013
BOARD CERTIFICATION
Radiation Oncology
Locations
Hospitals Served
- Providence Portland Medical Center
- Providence St. Vincent Medical Center
Publications
Chen VE, Kim M, Nelson N, Kim IK, Shi W. “Cost-effectiveness analysis of 3 radiation treatment strategies for patients with multiple brain metastases.” Neuro-Oncology Practice. 2023 Aug;10(4): 344-351. doi: 10.1093/nop/npac093
Chen VE, Lombardo JF, Castaneda SA, Winkfield KM, Fisher SA, Gressen EL, Rudoler SB, Yan W, Gajjar SR. “Disparities in lung cancer for Black patients in the US: An overview of contributing factors and potential strategies for radiation oncologists to bridge the gap.” Applied Radiation Oncology. 2020 Dec;9(4): 16-20.
Ali AS, Chen VE, Zurlo C, Taylor JM, Fernandez C, Shi W. “Target treatment with stereotactic radiation for recurrent gliomas.” Chinese Clinical Oncology. 2020 Dec;9(6): 74. doi: 10.21037/cco.2020.03.05
Taylor JM, Chen VE, Miller RC, Greenberger BA. “The impact of prostate cancer treatment on quality of life: a narrative review with a focus on randomized data.” Research and Reports in Urology. 2020 Oct;12: 533-546. doi: 10.2147/RRU.S243088
Chen VE, Greenberger BA, Taylor JM, Edelman MJ, Lu B. “The underappreciated role of the humoral immune system and B cells in tumorigenesis and cancer therapeutics: a review.” International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics. 2020 Sep;108(1): 38-45. doi: 10.1016/j.ijrobp.2020.03.022
Taylor JM, Song A, David AR, Chen VE, Lu B, Werner-Wasik M. “Impact of sarcopenia on survival in patients with early-stage lung cancer treated with stereotactic body radiation therapy.” Cureus. 2020 Sep;12(9): e10712. doi: 10.7759/cureus.10712
Chen VE, Greenberger BA, Shi Z, Gajjar S, Shi W, Mourad WF, Yan W. “Post-mastectomy and post-breast conservation surgery pain syndrome: a review of etiologies, risk prediction, and trends in management.” Translational Cancer Research. 2020 Jan;9(S1): S77-S85. doi: 10.21037/tcr.2019.06.46
Greenberger BA, Taylor JM, Chen VE, Den RB. “Comparing radiotherapy to prostatectomy for high-risk prostate cancer: a narrative review of mortality and quality of life outcomes.” The Cancer Journal. 2020 Jan;26(1): 29-37. doi: 10.1097/PPO.0000000000000420
Greenberger BA, Chen VE, Den RB. “Combined modality therapies for high-risk prostate cancer: narrative review of current understanding and new directions.” Frontiers in Oncology – Genitourinary Oncology. 2019 Nov;9: 1273. doi: 10.3389/fonc.2019.01273
Chen VE, Greenberger BA, Taylor JM, Lu B. “Key immune system markers in immunotherapy: absolute lymphocyte count, neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio, and alternative immune system metrics.” Therapeutic Radiology and Oncology. 2019 Sep;3(33). doi: 10.21037/tro.2019.09.01
Chen VE, Gillespie EF, Manger RP, Skerritt LA, Tran JH, Proudfoot JA, Sherer MV, Einck JP, Mell LK, Moore KL, Yashar CM. “The impact of daily bladder filling on small bowel dose for intensity modulated radiation therapy for cervical cancer.” Medical Dosimetry. 2019 Jun;44(2): 102-6. doi: 10.1016/j.meddos.2018.02.010
Chen VE, Gillespie EF, Zakeri K, Murphy JD, Yashar CM, Lu S, Einck JP. “Pathologic response after neoadjuvant chemotherapy predicts locoregional control in patients with triple negative breast cancer.” Advances in Radiation Oncology. 2017 Apr;2(2): 105-9. doi: 10.1016/j.adro.2017.01.012
Pierry D, Weiss G, Lack B, Chen V, Fusco J. “Intracellular human papillomavirus E6, E7 mRNA quantification predicts CIN 2+ in cervical biopsies better than Papanicolaou screening for women regardless of age.” Archives of Pathology & Laboratory Medicine. 2012 Aug;136(8): 956-60. doi: 10.5858/arpa.2011-0180-OA