Biography
Medical school
- University of Western Ontario (2010)
Residency
- Family Medicine (CCFP, 2013)
- Emergency Medicine (CCFP-EM, 2014)
Academic Focus
- Medical Education Leadership
- Medical Education Research
- Wellness
Award Highlights
- Nominated – The Ottawa Hospital Excellence Leadership Recognition Award (2026)
- Educator Award for Professional Competency (Anglophone Stream), Faculty of Medicine, University of Ottawa (2025)
- Faculty Member Awards of Excellence – Educator of the Year (Preclerkship), University of Ottawa (2022)
- Top 3 Finalist – Education Innovation Competition, Canadian Association of Emergency Physicians (2022)
- Honorary President, MD Class of 2020 (Anglophone Stream), University of Ottawa (2020)
Selected Publications
- Chen KJ, Sartor JD, Ekhdoura M, Haykal KA, Weill S, Cheung WJ. Unveiling the shadows: a qualitative inquiry into burnout perceptions among pre-clerkship students in Canadian medical education. Med Teach. 2026. doi:10.1080/0142159X.2025.2544820.
- Gorelik N, Green CR, Hamel C, LeBlanc AM, Ravi B, Frost DR, Ouellette H, Chen KJ, Liang LY, Gelber N, et al. Optimizing musculoskeletal imaging referrals: making wise choices a knee-jerk reaction. Can Assoc Radiol J. 2026. doi:10.1177/08465371251339389.
- Graves L, Turnnidge J, Mulder J, Akberzai S, Chen KJ, Jackson M, et al. Empowering stigmatized voices: cocreating a curriculum on pain and opioid use disorder with patient partners. Acad Med. 2025;100(6):734–740. doi:10.1097/ACM.0000000000005987.
- Chen KJ, Graves L, Soleas E, Jackson M, Descoteaux A, Balounaïck-Arowas V, Strathearn N, Van Hoorn R, Cofie N, Dalgarno N. Developing a patient toolkit for opioid use and management through co-creation. Patient Educ Couns. 2025;133:108632. doi:10.1016/j.pec.2024.108632.
- Chen KJ, Bartman I, Pugh D, Topps D, Desjardins I, Forgie M, Archibald D. Experience of introducing an electronic health record station in an objective structured clinical examination to evaluate medical students’ communication skills in Canada: a descriptive study. J Educ Eval Health Prof. 2023;20:22. doi:10.3352/jeehp.2023.20.22.
- Chen KJ, Thiruganasambandamoorthy V, Campbell SG, Upadhye S, Dowling S, Chartier LB. Choosing Wisely Canada: scratching the 7-year itch. Can J Emerg Med. 2022. doi:10.1007/s43678-022-00349-2.
- Chen KJ, Elliott CG, Nemnom MJ, Ouyang Y, Fitzpatrick T. The impact of learner involvement in emergency department patient assessments on short-term return visits requiring hospital admission: a cross-sectional study. Can J Emerg Med. 2022;24(6):606–610. doi:10.1007/s43678-022-00325-w.
- Chen KJ, Wilson S, Cheung W. Five ways to get a grip on designing medical student clerkship clinical rotations during a pandemic. Can Med Educ J. 2022;14(2). doi:10.36834/cmej.74000.
- Chen KJ, Comeau G, Dimitrova V, Swirp M, Russell D, Balaa F. Differences in practice behaviours between expert musicians and non-musicians when learning a basic surgical skill. Music Med. 2020;12(1). doi:10.47513/mmd.v12i1.706.
- Chen KJ, Comeau G, Dimitrova V, Swirp M, Russell D, Balaa F. From music to medicine: are pianists at an advantage when learning surgical skills? Music Med. 2020;12(1). doi:10.47513/mmd.v12i1.697.
Personal Interests
Before medicine, I trained and worked as a pianist and cello teacher and performer. Music still influences how I show up in medicine. It taught me to listen carefully, to practice deliberately, and to stay grounded when the stakes are high.
At home, as a mother of four, I’m constantly reminded that growth isn’t linear and that patience and humour matter as much as discipline. Those lessons carry into my clinical work and my role in medical education, where I try to build environments that are rigorous, supportive, and human.
Relevant Links
ORCID
Updated - April 2026