In high school, Dr. Henry Chen competed in computer programming contests, which led to his interest in combining technology and medicine. Once in medical school, he gravitated toward the specialties dermatology and rheumatology. Dr. Chen hopes to leverage his computational background to advance our understanding of dermatological disease and develop new patient therapies.

Henry W. Chen, M.D.

What this award means: Receipt of this award reflects the culture of mentorship that is prevalent throughout the Department of Dermatology and a vote of confidence in my potential as a physician-scientist within the field of dermatology.

Mentor comment: Henry has a stellar publication record, with seven first-author publications and seven co-author publications. He also obtained two grants to support his research year in dermatology. Given his relentless commitment to pursuing various research questions, Henry has the rare potential to become a superstar in our field. – Benjamin Chong, M.D., Associate Professor of Dermatology 

Background and family: I was raised in Cypress, Texas, by my first-generation immigrant parents who embodied self-sacrifice and unfettered support. My strong Christian faith is the foundation of my compassion for each patient I meet.

What led to your career path: In high school, I spent a lot of time competing in Java programming contests, which catalyzed my interest in computer science. Since then, I have been fascinated by the intersection of technology and medicine. I became interested in dermatology through initial exposure at the Agape Clinic, and I confirmed this interest through caring for patients with rheumatologic-dermatologic diseases such as cutaneous lupus and morphea.

College: I graduated summa cum laude with a Bachelor of Science in biochemistry – systems and synthetic biology from UT Austin. I was a peer mentor and researcher in the Freshman Research Initiative and an undergraduate Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas fellow. I volunteered at the University Health Services and Dell Children’s Medical Center. I also was a recipient of the Welch Foundation Scholarship.

UTSW activities: I served as an Agape Dermatology Clinic Manager, United to Serve event co-director and volunteer chair, and AOA Research Committee co-chair. I extended my research training through a yearlong translational and clinical research fellowship under Drs. Heidi Jacobe and Benjamin Chong, supported by grant funding from the Pediatric Dermatology Research Alliance and Rheumatology Research Foundation.

Surprising fact: I enjoy kitchen chemistry (i.e., baking) with my wife. Our favorite treat to make is macarons (specifically of the Earl Grey or matcha variety). 

Ultimate career goal: I aim to not only leverage my computational background in bioinformatics and epidemiology to advance our understanding of dermatological disease and ultimately contribute to the development of novel therapies to treat patients, but I also plan to foster the next generation of dermatologists just as my mentors have done for me.

Future plans: As an academic dermatologist, I hope to continue answering questions related to improving patient care from the population to the cellular level using big data while providing personalized, clinical excellence for my future patients. My immediate next step is a dermatology residency right here at UT Southwestern.

About the award: The award is given to students who have advanced dermatological patient care, research, or teaching in a special way, or who show promise for leadership in these areas.