Current Research and Scholarly Interests
Dr. Chao's research focuses on preventing surgical diseases minimizing the traumatic impact of surgery. Dr. Chao serves as the Trauma Medical Director for Stanford Children's Health. Her research and interests include preventing childhood injury, the leading cause of death among children. Dr. Chao has a particular interest in preventing child abuse and its long-term consequences.
Dr. Chao is the Director of the Stanford Chest Wall Program. She is interested in studying new ways to treat and image patients with pectus excavatum and pectus carinatum.
Dr. Chao is also works closely with pediatric anesthesiologists to find ways to minimize anxiety and discomfort associated with surgery. This includes the use of virtual reality to decrease periprocedural anxiety.
Other research interests: pediatric surgery, neonatal surgery, congenital diaphragmatic hernia outcomes, pediatric obesity, minimal access surgery
Dr. Chao also works with the Asian Liver Center towards the global eradication of hepatitis B, the leading cause of liver cancer and liver disease globally. Dr. Chao helped launch the Jade Ribbon Campaign in 2001 to improve public and physician awareness about hepatitis B. Her work has been supported by the US Centers for Disease Control and the American Cancer Society. The Asian Liver Center also works in collaboration with the World Health Organization to improve screening and immunization strategies in Asia. For more information, visit: http://liver.stanford.edu AND http://hepbmoms.org
