Family nurse practitioner Shujun Chen has practiced nursing both in the United States and in Beijing China.

In rural Alaska, she was a diabetes educator/case manager, travelling by small planes and snow sleds to reach her patients and quickly learning the native culture. She also witnessed health care challenges faced in underserved areas. This experience, in particular, was foundational to her desire and eagerness to serve underserved or uninsured populations.

Her work also has included providing patient-centered care at a cardiac surgery center, where she expanded her understanding of age-specific physical and psychological needs of patients.

After earning her bachelor of science in nursing at Peking Union Medical College in Beijing, she came to the U.S. in her 20’s and went on to earn a master’s degree in health services administration from Saint Joseph’s University in Philadelphia and a master’s in nursing from Husson University in Bangor, Maine. As a graduate assistant at Husson University, she helped develop a course called “Interprofessional Collaboration in Rural Health.”

“I love family medicine -- taking care of patients from newborns to the elderly,” she says. She especially likes working with patients to prevent or manage chronic diseases and to meet goals toward achieving optimum health.

When not caring for patients, Shujun Chen enjoys cooking, gardening and reading.