Dr. Jennifer O. Chan is a double-board certified surgeon in Thoracic and General Surgery. Her expertise is in all aspects of general thoracic surgery, which includes lung cancer, benign lung conditions, benign and malignant esophageal diseases, as well as pleural and mediastinal diseases.
A San-Francisco native, her education started in the San Francisco Catholic diocese. Following her graduation from Saint Ignatius College Preparatory, she ventured out east for her undergraduate studies. She graduated cum laude from Duke University with a Bachelor of Science in Biology. She returned to the west coast for medical school at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. She then completed her internship and residency in General Surgery at the LAC + USC, under the chairmanship of Dr. Tom DeMeester, a world-renown expert in esophageal disease. During her residency, she spent a year conducting research at the Hastings Thoracic Oncology and Lung Transplantation Laboratory at the Keck School of Medicine. She completed her formal training with a fellowship in Thoracic Surgery at the prestigious University of Michigan in Ann Arbor, which was the first in the United States to offer such a program in 1928.
She began her career as a clinical instructor in Thoracic Oncological Surgery at University of California, San Francisco. Following this, she built a regional minimally invasive thoracic surgical program as an attending surgeon at The Permanente Medical Group, Inc., in Vallejo, Ca. She entered private practice in Brooklyn, NY, with affiliations at Catholic Health Services of Long Island and NYU-Brooklyn, until close familial ties brought her back to the Bay Area. Prior to joining BASS, she served as an attending surgeon with the Washington Township Medical Foundation. Over the years, she has been able to incorporate the latest minimally invasive technology into her practice, for the benefit of her patients. She is a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons, Women in Thoracic Surgery, American College of Surgeons, and General Thoracic Surgical Club.
Dr. Chan believes strongly in a collaborative patient-doctor relationship. The doctor provides his or her recommendations for diagnosis and treatment, based on the best established and evidence-based standard of care. Ultimately, it is the patient, who decides whether to proceed with those recommendations. She also believes in the importance of a team-based collaborative relationship with the patient’s other physicians,especially in the area of cancer management, to provide the best overall care plan for that individual patient.
When she is not working, she loves spending time with her family and friends. She enjoys working out, travelling, cooking, and exploring everything the Bay Area has to offer.
Dr. Chan is accepting new patients and offers both in-person as well as virtual visits. She looks forward to meeting you and your family.