We are happy to announce the growth of our leadership team to include Justin A. Chen, M.D., M.P.H. As of February 1, 2023, Dr. Chen will be joining the faculty of Weill Cornell Medicine as our new Vice Chair for Ambulatory Services and Vice Chair for Health Justice. In these new roles, Dr. Chen will be responsible for overseeing and advancing our behavioral health outpatient services across our Manhattan and Westchester campuses to ensure the delivery of innovative high quality, patient-centered care that is accessible to the diverse populations of New York City and Westchester County. Dr. Chen will also serve as a thought leader and educator to continue our efforts to promote a culture of diversity, equity, and inclusion and advance health equity in the service of our patients.
Dr. Chen received his undergraduate and medical degrees from Yale University. He completed his psychiatry residency and chief residency at MGH/McLean, followed by a Master of Public Health degree at the Harvard-T.H. Chan School of Public Health. He was previously an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School and Associate Psychiatrist at Massachusetts General Hospital where he had been serving as the Medical Director of the Outpatient Psychiatry Division and Co-Director of Primary Care Psychiatry. Clinically, he specializes in the treatment of adult mood and anxiety disorders.
A dedicated teacher and mentor, Dr. Chen previously served as Co-Director of Medical Student Education in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Co-Director and core faculty in the Mind, Brain, and Behavior pre-clinical neurosciences course at HMS. Dr. Chen’s research focuses on cross-cultural psychiatry, mental health disparities, and innovative approaches for improving access to psychiatric services. He is a co-editor of Sociocultural Issues in Psychiatry: A Casebook and Curriculum, published in 2019 by Oxford University Press.
As Executive Director and Co-Founder of the nonprofit volunteer operated MGH Center for Cross-Cultural Student Emotional Wellness, Dr. Chen delivers talks and trainings for families, clinicians, and educators throughout the United States on promoting the mental health of diverse students. Along with this initiative, he was a 2020-23 fellow of the Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program for a project entitled, “Breaking Silences in the Model Minority: A National Intervention to Increase Mental Health Awareness and Decrease Stigma in Asian Immigrant Families.” He also completed a Dupont-Warren Research Fellowship focused on improving engagement of depressed Chinese immigrants into mental health care at South Cove Community Health Center in Boston's Chinatown.
We look forward to Dr. Chen’s role on our leadership team and advancing initiatives in ambulatory services and health justice.