Skip to contents
In This Issue:
Ming Hui Chen, MD, MMSc, FACC
Medical textbooks laid a foundation for Dr. Ming Hui Chen's career, but set no boundaries for the scope of her work. She is pioneering new techniques and methods in Cardiology, fueled by a drive to better serve under-recognized patient populations.
Working hand in hand with BWH radiation amd medical oncologists, Chen currently focuses on treating and preventing cardiovascular disease in cancer survivors, with a concentration on Hodgkin's disease and breast cancer. As cancer becomes more treatable, there are more survivors-about 10 million, the National Cancer Institute estimates. “Heart disease is the leading noncancer cause of death for these patients, but it may take up to two decades to develop,” she said. “This presents us with an incredible window of opportunity for prevention and treatment, as well to improve quality of life.”
Chen holds joint appointments in BWH's Divisions of Cardiovascular Medicine and Women's Health and serves as the cardiologist for the multidisciplinary Lance Armstrong Foundation Adult Survivorship Clinic/Perini Family Survivors' Center at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI). Her work at BWH and DFCI spans the continuum of heart health for cancer survivors, making Chen one of the few cardiologists in the country who study and treat these niche patients.
Because cancer survivors experience atypical cardiovascular symptoms, diagnosis can be difficult. Furthermore, many survivors are in their thirties and forties, so suspicion for heart disease may be low. For example, “Nerve damage in the chest caused by radiation often creates a compromised warning system for heart problems.” This may cause silent heart muscle damage or heart attack.
“Each patient, clinician and researcher working in this area will bring us one step closer to ultimately improving cardiovascular health for cancer patients,” said Chen, whose practice is almost exclusively comprised of cancer survivors.
“Dr. Chen's inspiring work in this field confirms her ability to blaze new trails,” said Paula A. Johnson, MD, MPH, executive director of Connors Center for Women's Health and Gender Biology and chief of the Division of Women's Health.