Hui “Amy” Chen has joined the Building Interdisciplinary Research Careers in Women’s Health (BIRCWH K12) program as the newest dean’s scholar in women’s health research. Funding from the National Institutes of Health program supports early-career faculty researchers who are interested in women’s health research. UC Davis BIRCWH K12 scholars explore the themes of lifespan, sex/gender determinants, health disparities/differences, and diversity, and interdisciplinary research.
A recent graduate of the UC Davis Mentored Clinical Research Training Program, Chen studies lentinula edodes mycelia, a shiitake mushroom extract commonly used in some countries. She hopes to see if it improves the quality of life for ovarian cancer patients who receive chemotherapy after surgery. Among gynecologic cancers, ovarian cancer has the highest mortality rate, and quality of life is affected by both the disease and its treatment. Her research aims to understand the effects of complementary medicine and how to integrate it safely and effectively with conventional oncological care.
