Ingfei Chen

Senior contributing editor

About

Ingfei Chen has witnessed the hope and hype and miracles and failings of medical care and scientific research during more than 15 years of covering both areas as a journalist. Based in the San Francisco Bay Area, she started her career as a general assignment reporter for the San Francisco Chronicle but shifted to the medical beat at Time Inc.'s Hippocrates and Health magazines. As a freelancer, her work has been published in The New York Times , Discover , Reader's Digest , and CR , a magazine for cancer survivors. Chen has a B.S. in biology from Brown University and an M.A. in journalism from Stanford University. She was a Knight Science Journalism Fellow at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 2004-2005 and has been a lecturer in the graduate science writing program at the University of California, Santa Cruz.

Chen's awareness of the challenges of aging was heightened when she worked as a contributing editor in 2002-2004 for Science Magazine's Science of Aging Knowledge Environment, a website about gerontology research. Her own mother and father live in the same New York City neighborhood where she grew up. Now approaching their 80s, they play tennis twice a week and walk to the grocery store or library every day. Chen regularly checks in with them by phone and bugs them to go to the doctor when necessary.

Recently Published on Caring.com

  1. Tuesday December 15, 2009

    1. 8 Ways to Help Your Parent Cope With Parkinson's Disease

      Article - When your parent has been diagnosed with Parkinson's, it helps to know when to step in and when to back off. Here are several practical tips for providing the support that your parent needs.

  2. Tuesday August 25, 2009

    1. Parkinson's Disease: When to Consider Deep Brain Stimulation

      Article - Brain surgery for Parkinson's disease may be a viable treatment for someone with dyskinesias or other side effects from long-term use of levodopa.

  3. Friday July 24, 2009

    1. 10 Signs That Your Parent Might Have Parkinson's Disease

      Checklist - Parkinson's disease creeps up slowly, starting with mild symptoms that are easy to ignore at first. What follow are three cardinal features of the disorder (signs 1, 2, and 3 below) that doctors look for, along with seven related signs (signs 4 through 10) that could be additional evidence of the illness... 2 Comments

  4. Thursday April 30, 2009

    1. 8 Questions to Ask When Your Parent Has a Parkinson's Disease Diagnosis

      Checklist - Try to go with your parent to his first few doctor's visits. If that isn't possible, you'll need access to his medical records in order to discuss his medical issues with the physician. The Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) protects the privacy of these records, so ask your...

  5. Monday April 13, 2009

    1. Parkinson's Disease: How Medicines Can Ease Symptoms

      Article - Here are the options for drug therapy for Parkinson's disease -- and what to expect in terms of benefits and side effects as the illness progresses.

    2. What Is Parkinson's Disease?

      Article - This guide to Parkinson's disease will help you understand a patient's diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment options. 2 Comments

    3. How to Help Someone With Parkinson's Disease Thrive

      Article - When a family member has Parkinson's disease, exercise and other therapies can help her stay active and independent as long as possible. 2 Comments

    4. Parkinson's Disease: A Guide to Mind and Mood

      Article - A guide to the cognitive and behavioral symptoms common in Parkinson's disease, and how they can be treated. 2 Comments

  6. Monday March 23, 2009

    1. Parkinson's Disease: How to Keep Up With the Latest Research

      Article - Here's how to locate reliable, up-to-date information about Parkinson's disease research and Parkinson's disease websites.

  7. Monday March 16, 2009

    1. Parkinson's Disease and Speech

      Article - For Parkinson's patients, speech therapy can often help with speaking difficulties that leave them unable to communicate clearly.