Dr. David Chen attended college and medical school at the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY.  He obtained undergraduate degrees in the study of American Sign Language and Deaf Studies (B.A.) as well as in Neuroscience (B.S.). In medical school, he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha National Honor Society and won the Bryce Collier prize for his medical relief work in Jamaica. He was an intern in Internal Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and did his neurology residency at MGH and Brigham and Women's Hospital. He is boarded-certified in Neurology as well as board-certified in Pain.  He is also certified in Headache Medicine by the United Council of Neurological Subspecialties.

Dr. Chen's research focuses on he interactions of the nervous and immune system. He completed a fellowship in the laboratory of Dr. Anne Louise Oaklander looking at various human models of nerve injury pain. He has particular interests in headache and migraine, shingles, trigeminal neuralgia and facial pain disorders, complex regional pain syndrome and has lectured on all of these subjects.

Dr. Chen serves as the associate director of the outpatient Neurology Clinics at MGH as well as the director of the Neurology Urgent Access Clinic.