Bander Center Faculty and Staff
Leadership
Li Ern Chen, M.D.
Director
Li Ern Chen, M.D., has a distinguished record of health care leadership, clinical excellence and innovation in care delivery. She has held senior executive and physician leadership roles at Catalight, ChenMed, Mercy and Baylor Scott & White, where she led complex clinical and operational initiatives across diverse health care systems and payment models.
A graduate of Washington University School of Medicine, Chen completed her general surgery residency at Barnes-Jewish Hospital and a pediatric surgery fellowship at Children's Hospital of Wisconsin. She also holds a Master of Science in Clinical Science from UT Southwestern.
In addition to leading the Bander Center, Chen is the course director for Leadership in the Business of Medicine, a medical student course that prepares future physicians to navigate health care systems with ethical judgment, organizational insight and professional responsibility.
Chen is committed to advancing health care business ethics that promote physician well-being, support high-quality clinical decision-making, and improve patient outcomes. Her work emphasizes aligning ethical business practices with sustainable care delivery models that benefit patients, clinicians and health care organizations alike.