Biography
Dr. Innie Chen is an Associate Professor and Clinical Research Chair in Population Health and Health Services for Women in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, with Cross-Appointment to the School of Epidemiology and Public Health, at the University of Ottawa, and an Associate Scientist at the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
Following her medical training at the University of British Columbia and residency specialist training in obstetrics and gynecology at the University of Alberta, she completed a Fellowship in Advanced Gynecologic Laparoscopy, Endometriosis, and Pelvic Pain, as well as a Master of Public Health at the University of British Columbia.
Dr. Chen currently works at the Shirley E. Greenberg Women’s Health Centre at the Ottawa Hospital, where she has a subspecialty practice for women with complex gynecologic conditions and offers minimally invasive and advanced laparoscopic surgery options. She is the Gynecology Quality Lead within the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology, and Newborn Care, and she is also Cross-Appointed to the Department of Anesthesia and Pain Medicine and serves as the Gynecology Co-Lead for the Health Options for Pelvic Pain (HOPE) Program at the Pain Clinic at the Ottawa Hospital.
Dr. Chen collaborates internationally to improve gynecologic care for women. She has led several Cochrane systematic reviews, is a member of the SOGC Gynecology Practice Committee and the AAGL Practice Committee, and is the North American Ambassador for the International Pelvic Pain Society.
Research interests
Dr. Innie Chen is widely recognized for her research in gynecologic surgery and quality improvement, and her program of research is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Ontario Physicians’ Services Incorporated Foundation, with key partnerships with the Society of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists of Canada and the Canadian Institute for Health Information. Her research is focused on issues surrounding equity of surgical care, surgical safety, and healthcare utilization for women with common uterine diseases, and it seeks to raise the quality of care for women’s gynecologic health.
- Diseases Studied: Menstrual disorders, endometriosis, fibroids, chronic pelvic pain; surgical quality of care
- Patient Population: Women with common, noncancerous gynecologic conditions
- Methodologic expertise: Analysis of population-based databases, systematic reviews, qualitative approaches
Dr. Chen believes that patient education and shared decision-making are the keys to finding the optimal treatment options for each woman she cares for.