The Chen Scholars Program

The Chen Scholars Program awards top-tier junior and mid-career clinician-scientists at UCSF who specialize in the neurosciences and the use of artificial intelligence (AI) to advance medicine. This prestigious program provides the next generation of neuroscience and AI experts with the resources to jump start high-reward projects and fuel groundbreaking, cross-collaborative research that drives discovery and innovation.

Chen Scholars, who successfully undergo a rigorous selection process, are empowered to improve the human experience by deepening our understanding of how our brains perceive, learn, and interact with the world, while, at the same time, harnessing the power of AI to expand what is possible in science and medicine.

We are deeply grateful to Chrissy Luo and Tianqiao Chen for their generous support of this pivotal program.

The Chen Scholars - 2026 Awardees

Chen Scholars 2026 - Sergio Arroyo

Sergio Arroyo, MD, PhD

  • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
  • UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
About Dr. Arroyo
Chen Scholars 2026 - Dr. Nicole Jiam

Nicole Jiam, MD

  • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology
About Dr. Jiam
Chen Scholars 2026 - Khaled Moussawi

Khaled Moussawi, MD, PhD

  • UCSF Chen Scholar Mid-Career Award
  • Howard L. Fields Endowed Chair in Pharmacology of Addiction in Neurology
  • Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
  • UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
About Dr. Moussawi

The Chen Scholars - 2025 Awardees

Vikram Rao, MD, PhD

Vikram Rao, MD, PhD

  • UCSF Chen Scholar Mid-Career Award
  • Distinguished Professor of Neurology
  • Professor, Department of Neurology
  • Chief, Epilepsy Center
  • UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
About Dr. Rao
Jon Kleen, MD, PhD

Jon Kleen, MD, PhD

  • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
  • Lip-Bu Tan Endowed Professor
  • Associate Professor, Department of Neurology
  • UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
About Dr. Kleen
Kang Wang, MD, PhD

Kang Wang, MD, PhD

  • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
  • Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
    About Dr. Wang

    The Chen Scholars - 2024 Awardees

    Joline Fan, MD, MS

    Joline Fan, MD, MS

    • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Neurology
    • UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
    About Dr. Fan
    Doris Wang, MD, PhD

    Doris Wang, MD, PhD

    • UCSF Chen Scholar Mid-Career Award
    • Associate Professor, Department of Neurological Surgery
    • Co-Director, Focused Ultrasound in Neuroscience Program
    • UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences
    About Dr. Wang
    Jing (Meghan) Shan, M.D., Ph.D

    Jing (Meghan) Shan, MD, PhD

    • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
    • Assistant Professor, Department of Ophthalmology
    • Medical Director, Glaucoma Service
    About Dr. Shan
    Andreas Rauschecker, MD, PhD

    Andreas Rauschecker, MD, PhD

    • UCSF Chen Scholar Junior Award
    • Assistant Professor and Co-Director, Center for Intelligent Imaging (ci²), Department of Radiology and Biomedical Imaging
    About Dr. Rauschecker
    Rima Arnaout, MD

    Rima Arnaout, MD

    • UCSF Chen Scholar Mid-Career Award
    • Lucie Stern Endowed Chair in Cardiology
    • Associate Professor, Department of Medicine
    About Dr. Arnaout