Teresa C. Chen, MD,  graduated from the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute-Albany Medical College's Six-Year Accelerated Medical Program first in her class, and subsequently completed a residency in ophthalmology at the University of Illinois Eye and Ear Infirmary. She then completed a glaucoma fellowship at Mass. Eye and Ear.

Dr. Chen focuses her research on 3D imaging of the eye using spectral domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and swept source imaging. Along with collaborators at MGH, her research group was the first to image the human eye in vivo with video-rate SD-OCT, a widely used imaging modality for the care of glaucoma patients. With SD-OCT, ultra-high resolution 3D video imaging of the optic nerve and the retina is possible. Dr. Chen and her collaborators are also leaders in swept source imaging and did some of the earliest research in this area. Dr. Chen has been both first and last author on major papers published in the top three ophthalmology journals, Archives of Ophthalmology (now JAMA Ophthalmology), American Journal of Ophthalmology, and Ophthalmology. She has published over 150 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and reviews, and case reports.

Actively engaged in teaching and mentoring, Dr. Chen has been the course director for the Glaucoma Conferences at Mass. Eye and Ear for more than a decade. She was the first course director for the biennial Chandler Grant Glaucoma symposium, which is an international Harvard Medical School glaucoma conference held at Mass. Eye and Ear. 

Dr. Chen has served as both past Vice President, as well as past President, of the Chandler Grant Glaucoma Society, the Mass. Eye and Ear glaucoma alumni society. For a decade, she had served as Mass. Eye and Ear’s first Chief Quality Officer for Ophthalmology.  She was also the founding course director for the Mass. Eye and Ear resident quality rotation.