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Legendary Surgeon Maurice Galante Dies
Maurice Galante, M.D., a legendary master surgeon at UCSF and renaissance man, died on February 5, 2013. His career is memorialized by the Maurice Galante Lecture Program and Maurice Galante Distinguished Professorship.
Wen T. Shen, M.D., M.A.
Assistant Professor in Residence
Division of General Surgery
Contact Information
University Of California San Francisco
Mt. Zion Medical Center
Hellman Bldg. Room C-349
San Francisco, CA 94115
415-885-3755 (Academic Office)
415-353-7687 (Clinic)
415-885-7617 (Fax)
Wen.Shen@ucsfmedctr.org
BiographyEducation
- 1990-94, Harvard University, B.A., History and Science
- 1994-99, University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, M.D. with thesis
- 2007-2009, University of California, San Francisco, M.A., History of Medicine
Residencies
- 1999-02 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Resident, Surgery
- 2005-06 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Resident, Surgery
- 2006-07 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Chief Resident, Surgery
Fellowships
- 2002-05 University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, Research Fellow in Endocrine Surgical Oncology
Board Certification
- American Board of Surgery
Program Affiliations
- San Francisco Veterans' Affairs Medical Center
- UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center
Clinical Expertise
- Adrenal Tumors
- Adrenocortical Carcinoma
- Conn's Syndrome
- Cushing's Syndrome
- Hyperparathyroidism
- Hyperthyroidism
- Laparoscopic Adrenalectomy
- Multinodular Goiter
- Neuroendocrine (Islet Cell) Tumors
- Parathyroidectomy
- Pheochromocytoma
- Thyroid Cancer
- Thyroid Nodules
- Thyroidectomy
Research Interests
- Biomarkers of cardiovascular risk in primary hyperparathyroidism
- Genetic profiles of adrenal metastases from solid organ and skin cancers
- History of surgery
- Minimally invasive endocrine surgery
- Role of matrix metalloproteinases in thyroid cancer
- Use of novel anti-neoplastic agents to treat thyroid cancer, including direct MMP inhibitors, histone deacetylase inhibitors, PPAR-gamma agonists, and demethylating agents.
Biography
Wen T. Shen, M.D., M.A. is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the UCSF Department of Surgery, specializing in endocrine surgery of the thyroid, parathyroid, and adrenal glands. His surgical practice is based at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCSF/Mt. Zion.
Dr. Shen graduated magna cum laude with a B.A. in History and Science from Harvard University. He obtained his M.D. with thesis from UCSF and also completed his surgical residency and research fellowship in endocrine surgery at UCSF.
Dr. Shen has been the recipient of numerous awards, including the Esther Nusz Achievement Award from the UCSF Department of Surgery, the Residents' Prize from the Pacific Coast Surgical Association, the William Osler Medal from the American Association for the History of Medicine, and the Rothschild Prize from the Department of the History of Science at Harvard. Highly respected by his peers, Dr. Shen was named to the list of U.S. News "Top Doctors," which denotes the top 10% of physicians within a region practicing a given specialty.
Research Summary
Dr. Shen's basic science research is focused on the molecular biology and genetic underpinnings of thyroid cancer. He is particularly interested in the redifferentiatiion and growth inhibitory effects of novel anti-tumor agents such as PPAR-gamma agonists and histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibitors in thyroid cancer. Dr. Shen is investigating the effects of modulating matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity as a strategy for treating thyroid cancer. He is also studying the genetic profiles of adrenal metastases from solid organ and skin cancers.
Dr. Shen's current clinical research interests include predictors of lymph node metastases in papillary thyroid cancer, treatment of adrenal metastases from solid organ and skin cancers, the development of minimally invasive endocrine surgical techniques, and the impact of primary hyperparathyroidism on cardiovascular health and aging.
Dr. Shen's research has been generously funded by grants from the American College of Surgeons, the James Ewing Foundation through the Society of Surgical Oncology, the University of California Cancer Research Coordinating Committee, and the UCSF Resource Allocation Program.
In addition to his basic and clinical research, Dr. Shen maintains a strong interest in the history of surgery. Topics of his historical research have included the use of DES and other hormonal therapies in the 1950s, the 1942 Cocoanut Grove Fire in Boston and its impact on burn care, and the history of adrenal incidentaloma. He holds a masters' degree in the History of Medicine from the UCSF Department of Anthropology, History and Social Medicine.
Selected Publications
- Siperstein AE, Shen W, Chan AK, Duh QY, Clark OH. Normocalcemic hyperparathyroidism: biochemical and symptom profiles before and after surgery. Arch Surg, 10/1992;127:1157-63.
- Tezelman S, Shen W, Shaver JK, Siperstein AE, Duh QY, Klein H, Clark OH. Double parathyroid ademonas: clinical and biochemical characteristics before and after parathyroidectomy. Ann Surg, 09/1993;218:300-9.
- Tezelman S, Rodriguez JM, Shen W, Siperstein AE, Duh Qy, Clark OH. Primary hyperparathyroidism in patients who have received radiation therapy and in patients who have not received radiation therapy. J Am Coll Surg, 01/1995;180:81-87.
- Tezelman S, Shen W, Siperstein AE, Duh Qy, Clark OH. Persistent or recurrent hyperparathyroidism in patients with double adenomas. Surgery, 12/1995;118:1115-24.
- Shen W, Duren M, Morita ET, Higgins C, Duh QY, Siperstein AE, Clark OH. Reoperation for persistent or recurrent primary hyperparathyroidism. Arch Surg, 08/1996;131:861-9.
- Shen W, Sabanci U, Morita ET, Siperstein AE, Duh Qy, Clark OH. Sestamibi scanning is inadequate for directing unilateral neck exploration for first-time parathyroidectomy. Arch Surg, 09/1997;132:969-76.
In the News
Twenty-Five Department of Surgery Faculty Named to U.S. News Top Doctors List
U.S. News - Mar 01, 2012In its most recent survey, U.S. News in collaboration with Castle Connolly Medical Ltd. listed twenty-five (25) surgeons in the UCSF Department of Surgery, nearly one-third (1/3) of the clinical faculty, on the list of U.S. News "Top Doctors". The list, compiled from the opinion of colleagues, denotes the top 10% of physicians within a region practicing a given specialty. Fifteen of the 25 department surgeons were also named by their peers to the list of America's Top Doctors (ATD), a distinction reserved for the top 1% of physicians in the nation for that specialty. The listings are published online at U.S. News. The group rankings are intended to guide patients in selecting a doctor and physicians in making specialty referrals.
Endocrine Surgeons Leading Efforts to Identify Molecular Markers as Thyroid Cancers Rise
UCSF Today, CA - Feb 05, 2008Orlo H. Clark, M.D., former Chief of Surgery at UCSF Mount Zion, and his surgical colleagues Quan-Yang Duh, M.D., Wen T. Shen, M.D., and Jessica Gosnell, M.D. are leading efforts to identify molecular markers in biopsy tissue as the number of thyroid cases continue rise in the U.S.
