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Leadership »  7-Associate Directors »  Wen T. Shen, M.D., M.A.
Wen T. Shen, M.D., M.A.

Wen T. Shen, M.D., M.A.

  • Professor of Surgery
  • Division of Surgical Oncology
  • Director, Department of Surgery Grand Rounds Education Series
  • Program Director, Endocrine Surgery Fellowship

Contact Information

Mt. Zion Medical Center
1600 Divisadero St, Room B611 (Campus Box 1932)
San Francisco, CA 94115
415-885-3755 (Academic Office)
415-353-7687 (Clinic)
415-885-7617 (Fax)
[email protected]
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  • 1990-94, Harvard University, B.A., History and Science
  • 1994-99, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, M.D. with thesis
  • 2007-2009, University of California, San Francisco, M.A., History of Medicine
  • 1999-02 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Resident, Surgery
  • 2005-06 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Resident, Surgery
  • 2006-07 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Chief Resident, Surgery
  • 2002-05 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Research Fellow in Endocrine Surgical Oncology
  • American Board of Surgery
  • Adrenal Tumors
  • Adrenocortical Carcinoma
  • Conn's Syndrome
  • Cushing's Syndrome
  • Hyperparathyroidism
  • Hyperthyroidism
  • Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
  • Multinodular Goiter
  • Neuroendocrine  (Islet Cell) Tumors
  • Parathyroidectomy
  • Pheochromocytoma
  • Thyroid Cancer
  • Thyroid Nodules
  • Thyroidectomy
  • Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in primary hyperparathyroidism
  • Genetic profiles of adrenal metastases from solid organ and skin cancers
  • History of surgery
  • Minimally invasive endocrine surgery
  • Role of matrix metalloproteinases in thyroid cancer
  • Use of novel anti-neoplastic agents to treat thyroid cancer, including direct MMP inhibitors, histone deacetylase inhibitors, PPAR-gamma agonists, and demethylating agents.

Dr. Wen T. Shen is a surgeon specializing in operations of the thyroid, parathyroid and adrenal glands. He treats patients primarily at the UCSF/Mt. Zion Medical Center and the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Shen has academic interests in surgical education, medical humanities, and the history of surgery. He is Fellowship Program Director of the UCSF Endocrine Surgery Fellowship; Site Director for the UCSF General Surgery Residency Training Program at the UCSF/Mt. Zion campus; and Director of Endocrine Surgery University, the Fellows' education program of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons. He serves on the Executive Councils of the American Association of Endocrine Surgeons and the Pacific Coast Surgical Association; is the current Membership Chair for the Northern California Chapter of the American College of Surgeons; and has been selected to be the next Historian of the Pacific Coast Surgical Association.

Shen earned a bachelor's degree in history and science from Harvard University, graduating magna cum laude. He earned his medical degree at UCSF, where he also completed his surgical residency, research fellowship in endocrine surgery, and Master's degree in History of Medicine. He started his faculty career at UCSF in 2007.

Shen has received the Fred H. and Esther E. Nusz Achievement Award from the UCSF Department of Surgery, Resident's Prize from the Pacific Coast Surgical Association, William Osler Medal from the American Association for the History of Medicine, and Robert and Maurine Rothschild Prize from the Harvard University Department of History and Science. He has also been the recipient of multiple teaching awards from the UCSF Department of Surgery and the UCSF School of Medicine. He has been invited speaker at numerous institutions, including Massachusetts General Hospital, Northwestern University Medical Center, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, and the University of Toronto.

Dr. Shen's main research interests are in surgical education, medical humanities, and the history of surgery. He holds a Master's degree in History of Medicine. He has designed and taught a novel course in narrative nonfiction for surgical residents, using a variety of current and historical sources to allow residents to reflect upon and address the multiple challenges of surgical training and practice. He has written and lectured on a multitude of topics in the history of medicine, including the use and misuse of diethylstilbestrol (DES) for the prevention of miscarriage in the 1950s; the 1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire and its impact on burn therapy in World War II; the history of incidentally discovered adrenal tumors and their implications for surgical practice and public health; and the history and evolution of stereotypes of the "surgical personality".

Shen also maintains an active interest in the science and treatment of endocrine surgical disorders. He has previously studied the molecular biology and genetic underpinnings of thyroid cancer, including the redifferentiation and growth inhibitory effects of novel anti-tumor agents PPAR-gamma agonists and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors, as well as the modulation of matrix metalloproteinase activity as a treatment strategy for thyroid cancer. He has also studied the genetic profiles of adrenal metastases from solid organ and skin cancers, predictors of lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid cancer, the development of minimally invasive endocrine surgical techniques, and the impact of primary hyperparathyroidism on cardiovascular health and aging. Dr. Shen's research has been generously funded by grants from the American College of Surgeons, the James Ewing Foundation through the Society of Surgical Oncology, the University of California Cancer Research Coordinating Committee, and the UCSF Resource Allocation Program.

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  1. Orlo H. Clark, MD (1941-2022). Thyroid. 2023 Apr; 33(4):395-401. View in PubMed
  2. Shen WT, Sosa JA. Gratitude and Good Outcomes: Rediscovering Positivity and Perspective in an Uncertain Time. World J Surg. 2020 09; 44(9):2848-2849. View in PubMed
  3. Campbell MJ, Seib CD, Candell L, Gosnell JE, Duh QY, Clark OH, Shen WT. The underestimated risk of cancer in patients with multinodular goiters after a benign fine needle aspiration. World J Surg. 2015 Mar; 39(3):695-700. View in PubMed

 

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