Elizabeth Chen

Elizabeth Chen

Professor of Practice
Director, Master of Healthcare Administration (MHA) program

Aging, healthcare services, public policy, product development

Location

Arnold House

715 North Pleasant Street
Amherst, MA 01003
United States

404 Arnold House

Links

Dr. Chen joined the faculty of SPHHS after a distinguished career in executive administration across three sectors – pharmaceuticals/biotechnology, academia, and public service. Most recently, she served in senior roles in Massachusetts state government as an Assistant Commissioner at the Department of Public Health (2017-2019) where she was responsible for regulatory oversight of the state’s health care delivery organizations. Subsequently, she became the state’s Secretary for Aging (2019-2024), responsible for nearly $1 billion of federal and state funded services delivered to 1.7 million older adults.

In the private sector, Dr. Chen was president of the New England College of Optometry and had been a CEO of biotech companies.

Dr. Chen is a gerontologist whose research and advocacy on improving end-of-life care resulted in the passage and signing of POLST legislation for Massachusetts in 2022. She offers decades of experience as an executive leader, policymaker, and product/services strategist. Dr. Chen was awarded an honorary Doctor of Science from the School of Pharmacy at MCPHS University in 2019.

Education

  • PhD, Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston
  • MS, Gerontology, University of Massachusetts Boston
  • MPH, Health Policy, Harvard University
  • MBA, Multinational Management, University of Pennsylvania
  • BA, Organizational Behavior, Yale University

Key Publications

Zarei, H. R., Mamaghani, M., Ergun, O., Yu, P., Winchester, L., Chen, E.(2023) Matching Medical Staff to Long Term Care Facilities to Respond to COVID-19 Outbreak. BMC Health Services Research. BMC Health Services, 23, 583. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09594-2

Chen, E. E., Pu, C. T., Bernacki, R. E., Ragland, J., Schwartz, J. H., & Mutchler, J. E. (2019). Surrogate preferences on the physician orders for life-sustaining treatment form. The Gerontologist, 59(5), 811-821.

Chen, E.E.and Miller, E.A. (2016) A Longitudinal Analysis of Site of Death: The Effects of Continuous Enrollment in Medicare Advantage vs. Conventional Medicare. Research on Aging, p1-27, DOI: 10.1177/0164027516645843

Chen, E.E.(2012) Comparing Proportional Estimates of US Optometrists by Race and Ethnicity with Population Census Data, Optometric Education, 37: 3, pp.107-114.