Chi-Chao Chan, M.D., an American board certified ophthalmologist, is a Scientist Emerita of the National Eye Institute (NEI), National Institutes of Health (NIH), USA. She studied at Zhongshan Medical College (now Sun Yat-sen University Medical School) in China (1961-1967), went to USA in 1968. In USA, Dr. Chan received both bachelor (BA, 1972) and medical doctorate (MD, 1975) degrees from Johns Hopkins University, completed ophthalmology residency at Stanford University Medical Center in 1979, and two post-doctorial fellowships at the Wilmer Institute, Johns Hopkins (ophthalmic pathology, 1979-1982) and at the NEI, NIH (clinical immunology, 1982-1986), respectively. She got tenured and became the Chief of Immunopathology Section in the Laboratory of Immunology and the Chief of Histopathology Core at NEI/NIH; became a world expert in ophthalmic pathology and ocular immunology. Dr. Chan has published more than 650 articles in peer-reviewed journals, 55 book chapters, and two books. She also serves as an editorial board member for 20 medical journals. Her work has uncovered many aspects of uveitis (molecular and immunopathology), primary intraocular lymphoma (diagnosis) and age-related macular degeneration (molecular pathology and mouse model). Dr. Chan has received many honors and awards, including the American Academy of Ophthalmology’s Senior Achievement Award, ARVO Gold Fellow, the NIH Director Award, NEI Director Award, and the Outstanding Achievement Award in Ophthalmology and Vision Research for Oversea Chinese from the Chinese Ophthalmological Society. She has delivered many prestigious lectures, including the Eugene Chan and the Winifred Mao Memorial Lectures - the name lectures in honor of her parents; the first David BenEzra Memorial Lecture in Prague; the first Streilein Foundation for Ocular Immunology Visiting Professor in Bascom Palmer Eye Institute; and the King Khaled Memorial Lecture in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Dr. Chan retired in June 2015; the NEI hosted a Festschrift in honor of her accomplishment and long productive service to the Institute.
Dr. Chan is a Visiting Professor and the honorary Director of Zhongshan Ophthalmic Center Research Institute, Sun Yat-sen University in China, and a member of the Sun Yat-sen University Advisory Board. She also serves on the Trustee Board of Lingnan Foundation, an American philanthropy, seeks to contribute to the advancement of higher education in South China and thereby promote understanding between Chinese and Americans.