Jane W. Chan, MD

Dr. Jane Chan discovered her passion for medicine through her studies in biology at the University of California, Berkeley, and through her early research focused on chronic inflammation and mitochondrial oxidative damage that became the foundation for her future endeavors. After earning her MD from Sidney Kimmel Medical College at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia, Dr. Chan pursued her fascination with neuroscience and neurodegenerative diseases by completing a neurology residency at the University of California, Davis Medical Center. It was during her neuro-ophthalmology postdoctoral fellowship under the mentorship of Dr. William F. Hoyt at the University of California, San Francisco, that she uncovered the intricate connections between eye and brain diseases.

As a faculty member and physician-scientist at the Doheny Eye Center and UCLA, Dr. Chan's expertise in diagnosing and managing optic nerve disorders is widely recognized. Her acclaimed textbook, "Optic Nerve Disorders," now in its second edition, has become an indispensable reference for medical students, residents, and fellows, further solidifying her reputation in the field.

Dr. Chan's cutting-edge research leverages multi-modal retinal imaging techniques to explore neuro-retinal histopathology at the cellular and molecular levels in pre-Alzheimer’s disease compared to normal aging. Her discoveries in the relationships between retinal imaging and molecular biomarkers may provide new insights into the staging of preclinical Alzheimer’s disease to identify presymptomatic candidates for preventive therapies through artificial intelligence algorithms. These ground-breaking findings in the retinal imaging of microscopic structural and functional relationships also shed light on age-related macular degeneration and glaucoma. These two eye diseases share pathophysiologic mechanisms with Alzheimer's and may be part of a spectrum of the same disease.

Beyond her research, Dr. Chan is a sought-after lecturer nationally and internationally and holds leadership roles on the editorial boards of ophthalmology and neurology journals. She is a Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology and the North American Neuro-Ophthalmological Society. Her dedication to patient care has earned her prestigious accolades, including recognition as one of America’s Top Doctors and Best Doctors.