Lily K. Chen
Biography
Lily K. Chen, DO, is Deputy Chief of the SCI/D HCG and Medical Director of SCI Rehab Programs at the Ernest Bors SCI/D Center in Long Beach, as well as HS Associate Clinical Professor at UC Irvine School of Medicine. She received her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from Western University of Health Sciences/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific and completed a Spinal Cord Injury Medicine Fellowship at UC Irvine/Rancho Los Amigos Medical Center. Chen holds subspecialty certifications in both Spinal Cord Injury Medicine and Traumatic Brain Injury Medicine.
As Program Director of the SCI Medicine Fellowship at UC Irvine since 2013, Chen has broadened the fellowship curriculum to include facets of acute and chronic SCI management and established an affiliation with Rancho Los Amigos for Pediatric SCI. Under her direction, the fellowship has achieved a 100% board exam passing rate and received 3-year ACGME accreditation status. She has led the CARF accreditation team through surveys from 2013-2022, achieving full accreditation with an average of more than 17 strengths and fewer than 2 recommendations per survey.
Prior to her medical career, Chen was a competitive professional badminton athlete with more than 40 international and US national titles between 1993 and 2001. She was a member of the United States Olympic Badminton Team from 1998-1999 and earned All-American honors from the US Collegiate Badminton Association while serving as captain of the Stanford University Badminton Team. Chen is fluent in Spanish, Taiwanese, and Mandarin Chinese.
Return to topEducation
- D.O., Western University of Health Sciences/College of Osteopathic Medicine of the Pacific, 2003
- B.A. in Human Biology, Stanford University, 1998
Distinctions
- Member, United States Olympic (USO) Badminton Team, 1998-1999
- Team Gold and Individual Doubles Silver Medalist, US Olympic Festival, 1995
- Team Bronze Medalist, US Olympic Festival, 1994
- All-American, US Collegiate Badminton Association, 1996-1998
- Singles and Women's Doubles Champion, US National Collegiate Championships, 1996-1998
- Faculty of the Year Award, VA GLAHS/UCLA PM&R Residency, 2018
- Certificate of Appreciation, VA GLAHS/UCLA PM&R Residency Program, 2017
- Special Contribution Physician Award, VA Long Beach Med Center, 2017
- Doctor's Day Award for Education and Mentorship in SCI, Long Beach VA, 2024
- Who's Who Among Students of American University Award, Western University, 2004
Areas of Expertise
- Spinal Cord Injury Medicine
- Neurogenic Bladder Management
- Wheelchair Prescription Optimization
- Pressure Ulcer Treatment
- Cardiovascular Wellness Programs
- Acute Rehabilitation Quality Outcomes
Recent Publications
- Stephen F. Figoni, Lily Chen, “Cardiovascular Characteristics of SCI/D Outpatients Referred to a Kinesiotherapy Wellness Exercise Program”, Clinical Kinesiology, vol. 69, no. 3, pp. 11-20, 2015.
- Natalia Covarrubias, Bianca Tribuzio, Hamilton Chen, Lily Chen, Ronald Takemoto, “Paraplegia with Radiculopathy”, 2013. Presented at Association of Academic Physiatrists Annual Meeting, 2013.
- Lily Chen, Jae Jung, Arash Lavian, Grant Etnyre, Maria Manzano, Loren Matsumura, Carrie Domingo-Bailey, Aryeh Lax, A.M. Erika Scremin, “Amputee Balance Masters”, 2007. Presented at Association of Academic Physiatrists national conference, 2007.
Contact Information
Email: lkchen@uci.edu
Phone: (714) 456-6668
Address: VA Long Beach, 5901 E 7th St, Long Bch,CA 90822, Irvine, CA 92868
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Last updated on 3/13/2026.