Kevin Showen Chen, MD

Although he has lived in many places across the United States throughout childhood, Dr. Kevin Chen was born in the "old" Mott Children's Hospital at the University of Michigan. Dr. Chen completed his undergraduate degree (Neuroscience and Anthropology) at Johns Hopkins University, and his medical training at Duke University. This was followed by residency (Neurosurgery) at the University of Michigan and fellowship (Stereotactic/Functional Neurosurgery) at Stanford University.

His clinical interests center on treating dysfunctional neural circuits, and using neuromodulation to help symptoms of movement disorders (e.g., Parkinson's disease, essential tremor, dystonia, etc.). Similarly, he has interest in neuromodulation using spinal cord stimulation for the treatment of certain chronic pain syndromes (e.g., complex regional pain syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, etc.), or use of intrathecal drug delivery (e.g., spasticity). He also has expertise in the surgical treatments of epilepsy, including vagal nerve stimulators, stereoelectroencephalography, responsive neurostimulators, deep brain stimulation for epilepsy, laser interstitial thermal therapy, and temporal lobectomy. During fellowship training, he also received training in the use of MRI-guided focused ultrasound, an incision-less approach for the treatment of movement disorders.

Dr. Chen is an avid rock climber, and also enjoys swimming and snowboarding. He lives in Ann Arbor with his wife and daughter.

University of Michigan Health participates with most health insurance plans.

Dr. Chen's research interest focuses on stem cells, particularly induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). He seeks to use iPSCs to understand the causes of neurodegenerative diseases like amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) and Alzheimer's Disease. Additionally, his research explores the potential for engineered or "corrected" iPSCs to also treat these diseases.