Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD

Director, Brain Tumor Program, and Co-Director, Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program, Brown University Health

Clark C. Chen, MD, PhD, an internationally recognized neurosurgeon with the Norman Prince Neurosciences Institute at Rhode Island Hospital, specializes in the surgical treatment of brain cancers.

Dr. Chen is director of the Brain Tumor Program and co-director of the Gamma Knife Stereotactic Radiosurgery Program at Brown University Health. In addition to his role as a professor in the department of neurosurgery at The Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University, he is also the director of translation neuroscience and co-director of the Central Nervous System Cancer Center at the Legorreta Cancer Center. Previously, he was the chair of the neurosurgery department at the University of Minnesota, a professor and vice-chair of academic affairs at the University of California San Diego Neurosurgery, and the director of surgical neuro-oncology at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School.

Dr. Chen earned a medical degree and doctorate in genetics, both from Harvard Medical School. He completed a clinical fellowship in stereotactic neurosurgery at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston and clinical fellowship in radiosurgery at Massachusetts General Hospital. His earlier neurosurgical training included the completion of an internship in surgery and residency in neurosurgery, also at Massachusetts General Hospital, with a post-doctoral fellowship at Dana Farber Cancer Institute.

Dr. Chen’s research focus is dedicated to understanding how glioblastomas acquire resistance to radiation and chemotherapy. He is an NIH RO1-funded investigator whose clinical research focuses on developing novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches for brain tumor patients. He is a leader in the basic research areas of DNA repair and gene therapy in brain tumors, pioneering landmark studies in these fields.

Dr. Chen has published over 300 peer-reviewed manuscripts and is consistently recognized with awards, honors, and prizes by national and international organizations for his outstanding administrative leadership and research excellence.