Dr. Melissa Chen, a board-certified internist, serves as the Medical Director and faculty leader for the Interprofessional Community Clinic (ICC), Â鶹ӰÒô's student-led pro bono clinic. Her primary focus is on upstream health care, where she works to illuminate and address the social and structural drivers that fundamentally affect patient health. She developed the P2H2 course for Chicago Medical School and directs several key Community Health & Engagement (CHE) programs, including the Mini Medical School, Hero/Parent Academy, Aequitas Health Honor Society, and the IMPACT Journal Club.

Professional Background & Recognition

Dr. Chen is certified in Internal Medicine by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Her clinical experience is marked by a deep commitment to serving vulnerable populations, including 10 years as a clinician for the underserved at HealthReach, which was Lake County's only free clinic at that time, and prior hospitalist work in Seattle.

Education

• Residency: University of Washington (Primary Care track)
• Medical Degree (MD): Vanderbilt University
• Undergraduate Degree: Harvard University

Â鶹ӰÒô Honors

Dr. Chen's dedication to teaching and clinical practice is widely recognized within Â鶹ӰÒô, with honors including:

• The Laurence Medoff Award for outstanding teaching and clinical practice
• CMS Champion Award
• AOA Volunteer Clinical Faculty Award
• M2 Champion of Change
• Outstanding Online Elective Professor

Recent Publications

• Vincent, S., Chirica, M., Thippana, J., Chen, M., & Schneider, K. (2024). Investigating the Link Between Chronic Health Conditions and Mental Health Symptoms Among Low-income Patients Seen at a Student-Run Free Clinic. Journal of Student-Run Clinics, 10(1). Investigating the Link Between Chronic Health Conditions and Mental Health Symptoms Among Low-income Patients Seen at a Student-Run Free Clinic
• Ikmal Hisham, F., Choroomi, Y., Chen, M., & Fils, M. (2024). Greater Connection Stability With Zoom Over Doxy.me in a Student-Led Free Clinic. Journal of Student-Run Clinics, 10(1).
• Floramo E, Rumenapp J, Rosa I, Chen M, Baker-Rush M. Development of Self-Efficacy of Clinical Communication Skills in a Student-Run Free Clinic. Journal of Student-Run Clinics, 10(1).
• Mazander M, Rumenapp J, Chen M. Quantifying the Clinical Educational Value of a Student-Run Free Clinic. Family Medicine. 2024; 56(3): 176-179.
• Chen M, Kim N, Bolden L, Mowbray H, Calkins S. “The teaching happens both ways”: Transforming medical education through a co-created faculty-student-community health equity course. MedEd’s horizon: Just, merciful, diverse and equitable - AMA compendium. July 2023.
• Thomson K, Minpuri P, Chen M. The impact of volunteering with a student-run free clinic on medical student specialty selection. BMC Medical Education October 11, 2022; 22(1): 714.
• Patel K, Candelario D, Rahman A, Chen M. Impact of an Additional Immunizing Pharmacist at an Interprofessional Student-led Clinic for the Underserved. Journal of Student-Run Clinics, April 6, 2022.
• Chen, M. “Stories of Health Disparities.” Syllabus published in the curriculum collection of the National Collaborative for Education to Address the SDOH. November 2020.
• Patel K, Candelario D, Chen M. Pharmacy and Telehealth: An Interprofessional Model at a Student-led Free Clinic. Pharmacy Times: August 14, 2020.