Chen Chao-long (Chinese: 陳肇隆; pinyin: Chén Zhàolóng; Pe̍h-ōe-jī: Tân Tiǎu-liông; born 29 September 1950) is a Taiwanese transplant surgeon.
Chen was born in Kaohsiung on 29 September 1950.[1] He earned his medical degree at Kaohsiung Medical University and trained in surgery at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital and The Hospital for Sick Children, followed by a fellowship at the University of Pittsburgh, where he worked with Thomas Starzl. He has taught at China Medical University and Chang Gung University.[2]
Chen has performed several groundbreaking surgeries.[3][4][5] ResearchGate has compiled over 300 of Chen's publications.[6] According to Google Scholar, his works have been cited 16,000 times.[7] Semantic Scholar considers 188 of his works to be highly influential.[8]
He led the first successful liver transplant in Asia in March 1984 at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital's Linkuo branch.[9][10] By February 1991, six liver transplants had been performed at Chang Gung, and Chen presented findings on the surgery in Asia at that year's International Symposium on Treatment of Liver Cancer.[11]
In 1993, Chen established a liver transplant program at Chang Gung's Kaohsiung branch.[12][13] The next year, Chen oversaw Taiwan's first living donor liver transplantation.[14] In 1997, Chen performed Asia's first split-liver transplantation.[15] This was followed by Taiwan's first dual-graft living donor liver transplantation in 2002.[16] This body of work led to acknowledgement of Chen as "the father of liver transplants in Asia."[17] In 2003, Chen was appointed superintendent of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital.[2][3] In this position, Chen led the hospital as it faced the 2003 SARS outbreak.[18][19] As superintendent, he led several medical teams to Taiwan's diplomatic allies in Latin America to perform surgeries.[20][21] He was elected an academician of the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 2007.[22]
In 2015, Chen Chao-long led Chen Shui-bian's medical team alongside Lai Wen-ter.[23] He remained superintendent of Chang Gung Memorial Hospital through 2015.[23][21] By 2016, Chen had become honorary superintendent.[24] In June of that year, the Ministry of Health and Welfare recognized Chen in the inaugural conferment of a global health care award.[25] In January 2019, Kaohsiung mayor Han Kuo-yu appointed Chen healthcare ambassador for the city.[26]