On December 14th, Wendy Chen MD, MS of UT Health Houston discussed the use of social media in academic surgery

Dr. Wendy Chen, MD, MS, is an Assistant Professor at McGovern Medical School at UTHealth. She attended the University of California at Los Angeles where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Biochemistry and minored in East Asian Languages and Cultures (Japanese concentration) and Public Health. She then earned a Master of Science in Physiology from Georgetown University and spent a year at the National Institutes of Health researching post-mastectomy lymphedema. Dr. Chen received her medical degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where she was inducted into the prestigious Alpha Omega Alpha Society. She then completed an integrated Plastic Surgery residency at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, which was recently ranked #1 on Doximity. During residency, she spent an additional year in the basic science laboratory investigating whole-eye microsurgical allotransplantation under the direction of Dr. Kia M Washington. Additionally, she pursued elective training in gender-affirming surgery at Mount Sinai and Oregon Health Sciences. She then returned to UCLA to complete a Hand and Microsurgery Fellowship jointly through the Department of Orthopedic Surgery and the Division of Plastic Surgery. Dr. Chen has passed her written boards and is currently board-eligible.

Dr. Chen practices general pediatric plastic surgery with a focus on congenital hand anomalies, brachial plexus, complex extremity microsurgery, and pediatric and adult hand trauma. Outside the operating room, Dr. Chen is passionate about medical education and activism in surgery, for which she is a frequent national speaker. She has numerous publications and presentations and has won many awards for her work in clinical, basic science, and education research.

In her free time, Dr. Chen enjoys travel, food, photography, scuba diving, and the outdoors. She is considering adopting a polydactyl Hemingway cat and naming it “Cat Stevens.” She is fluent in Mandarin Chinese.

On February 8th, UTMB Vascular Surgeon and Associate Dean of Educational Affairs at the School of Medicine Ruth Bush, MD, JD, MPH, FACS discussed microaggressions

Dr. Ruth L. Bush is a professor of surgery and medical educator, currently serving as the Associate Dean for Educational Affairs in the John Sealy School of Medicine. Prior to joining UTMB, she held academic leadership roles at Baylor College of Medicine, Texas A&M College of Medicine, and most recently, was founding Associate Dean for Medical Education at the University of Houston College of Medicine. 

Dr. Bush is board-certified in vascular and general surgery and has maintained a clinical practice specializing in venous disorders. She is a member of several professional organizations and was elected in 2018 to the American College of Surgeons Academy of Master Surgeon Educators as well as awarded distinguished fellow status from both the Society for Vascular Surgery and the American Venous Forum. Dr. Bush is a past president of the Vascular and Endovascular Surgery Society. 

Dr. Bush earned her bachelor’s degree from Cornell University, medical degree from the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Juris Doctorate from William Taft Law School, and master's in public health from the University of North Carolina’s Gillings School of Global Public Health. She has authored over 150 peer-reviewed articles, >35 book chapters, and is the Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Vascular Surgery-Venous and Lymphatics. 

Thank you to both of our excited speakers!