Yanjun (Judy) Chen, MD, PhD
Position title: Associate Professor, Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences
Email: ychen@ophth.wisc.edu
Phone: 608-263-4823
Address:
2870 University Ave, Suite 108B
Madison, WI 53705
Education
MD 1994, Beijing Medical University
Residency 1994-1998, Ophthalmology, Peking Union Medical College Hospital
Residency 2005-2009, Neurology, St. Louis University School of Medicine
Fellowship 2009-2011, Neuro-ophthalmology, University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Research Interests
As a neuro-ophthalmologist who diagnoses and treats vision problems associated with a variety of neurologic and systemic diseases, my research focuses on studying the negative impact of the age-related ocular disease on the physical and psychosocial well-being of the aging population. I assess the association between the eye and general health using pupil reactivity. Specifically, the intrinsically photosensitive retinal ganglion cells (ipRGC)-mediated light reflex, a particular type of pupil reactivity that forms a bridge in between the eyes and brain. By looking at the pupil reactivity among participants in an established, large longitudinal epidemiologic, multi-sensory study of aging, the Beaver Dam Offspring Study (BOSS), we’ve found that the ipRGC-mediated pupil reactivity is associated with cognitive measures. We are hoping that a better understanding of the connection between the eyes and brain will ultimately facilitate the development of strategies to help improve quality of life in the aging population.