Li-Shiun Chen, MD, ScD, MPH

Li-Shiun Chen, MD, ScD, MPH

Associate Professor, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine

Dr. Chen’s research interests include smoking cessation treatments, pharmacogenetics and personalized medicine, cross-populational studies of smoking, gene-environmental interactions and longitudinal studies.

Dr. Chen is the principal investigator for a genetically informed smoking cessation trial to examine the use of genetic markers in identifying medications with maximal efficacy and minimal side effects, and a longitudinal follow-up study of smoking cessation. Research suggests that a person’s genetic makeup can help us better predict who is most likely to respond to drug therapy so we can make sure those individuals are treated with medication in addition to counseling or other interventions. Dr. Chen leads an international collaborative of research on genetic markers, lung cancer and smoking cessation success. In addition to longitudinal studies and analyses of existing data, she is interested in studying genetically informed smoking cessation. She explores the potential value of genetic screening in helping to identify individuals early on and reduce their risk for tobacco addiction and its related negative health consequences.