Prof. Chien-Jen Chen

 

 

received his B.Sc. (1973) and M.P.H. (1977) from National Taiwan University, and Sc.D. (1982) in epidemiology and human genetics from the Johns Hopkins University. He then worked as a lecturer (1982-1983), associate professor (1983-1986), and professor (since 1986) of National Taiwan University. He was appointed as the director of Graduate Institute of Public Health (1993-1994), founding director of Graduate Institute of Epidemiology (1994-1997), and dean of College of Public Health (1999-2002) in National Taiwan University. He is now a distinguished research fellow of Genomics Research Center (since 2006) and a Vice President (since 2011) of Academia Sinica.

 

Prof. Chen has dedicated himself to molecular and genomic epidemiological researches on chronic arsenic poisoning and virus-induced cancers for 30 years. His discoveries of multiple health hazards of arsenic in drinking water has led to the global awareness and prevention of the largest environmental calamity, and his researches on end-stage liver disease risk prediction of chronic hepatitis B has pioneered the viral load paradigm in its clinical management. He has published 12 books, 22 book chapters, 35 conference full articles, and over 640 original, review and editorial articles in international journals, which have been cited for more than 27,000 times in the SCI (Science Citation Index) journals with an h-index over 85. He has received Outstanding Research Award (1986-1996) and Outstanding Research Fellow Award (2003) from National Science Council; as well as Outstanding Teaching Award (1992), Academic Award (1997) and National Chair Professor (1999-2002) from Ministry of Education in Taiwan. He was elected as an academician of the Academia Sinica in 1998. He received the Presidential Science Prize, the most prestigious science award in Taiwan, in 2005.

 

Prof. Chen was elected as a fellow of American College of Epidemiology (1993), a member of the World Academy of Sciences (2005), an honorary member of Mongolian Academy of Science (2007), and a member of the Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health, Johns Hopkins University (2010). He was elected as the Dr. D.V. Datta Memorial Orator by the Indian National Association for Study of the Liver (2008), the Cutter Lecturer on Preventive Medicine by Harvard University (2008) and Prof. Vikit Viranuvatti Lecturer by the Gastroenterological Association of Thailand (2011). He received the Science and Engineering Achievement Award from Taiwanese- America Foundation in the USA (2009), the Outstanding Academic Award from Wang Ming-Ning Memorial Foundation in Taiwan (2010), the Knowledge for World Award from Johns Hopkins University (2012), the Outstanding Contribution in Science and Technology Award from Executive Yuan in Taiwan (2013), Prof. Juei-Low Sung Award from Asia-Pacific Primary Liver Cancer Expert Meeting (APPLE 2014).

 

Prof. Chen has served in several government positions including the Director General of Division of Life Sciences (1997-1999) and Deputy Minister (2002-2003) of National Science Council, Minister of Department of Health (2003-2005), and Minister of National Science Council (2006-2008). After his outstanding leadership to control the outbreak of severe acute respiratory syndrome successfully in 2003, he has made fundamental reforms of the organization of Department of Health and Center for Disease Control, the Medical Care System for Infectious Diseases and the Act of Infectious Disease Control in Taiwan. Under his significant leadership to promote scientific research and technology development in Taiwan, he has successfully made the reform of National Science Council and the promotion of international R&D collaboration. He has won widespread praise as a successful academic administrator and government leader. He received the Health Medal from Department of Health (2005), the Achievement Medal from Executive Yuan (2005) and the Science Professional Medal from National Science Council (2012) in Taiwan, the Officier dans l¡¦Ordre des Palmes Academiques from the Ministry of Education, France (2009), and the Knight of Pontifical Equestrian Order of St. Gregory the Great, Vatican (2013). (Last updated: March 24, 2015)