Selena Chan, DO, Recognized with Long-Term Mentor Award
Selena Chan, DO, has been selected as a recipient of the 2024–25 Long-Term Mentor Award, in recognition of her outstanding support, guidance, and mentorship of medical students.
The Long-Term Mentor Award is given to School of Medicine faculty who exemplify UCSF’s mission to nurture innovation, leadership, and research excellence. Dr. Chan’s selection reflects the many ways she has helped students discover their passions, navigate specialty decisions, and approach medicine with both intellectual rigor and humanity.
Dr. Chan was nominated by her mentee, Rachel Corren (UCSF Class of 2025), who described Dr. Chan’s mentorship as "rooted in respect, shared values, and genuine curiosity," and credited their work together as fundamental to shaping her career path. Rachel’s heartfelt nomination highlighted Dr. Chan’s warm encouragement, her artful and holistic practice of psychiatry, and her dedication to fostering curiosity about mind-body connections, healing traditions, and creative approaches to care.
“My experience working with Dr. Chan has taught me that the ideal mentor-mentee relationship is rooted in respect, shared values, and genuine curiosity, all of which produce an environment ripe with inspiration and enthusiasm,” said Corren. “I am grateful beyond words for the chance to work together and feel deep gratitude for how it has fundamentally shaped my career path.”
Rachel rotated in Dr. Chan’s clinic as part of her Specialty Practice Ambulatory sub-iNternship (SPAN), which allows fourth-year students to develop advanced ambulatory patient care skills in a specialty/subspecialty of their choice. Under Dr. Chan’s mentorship, Rachel pursued a Deep Explore project focused on the role of visual mapping techniques as a therapeutic tool in psychiatry. Their co-authored abstract was accepted for presentation at the 2025 International Congress on Integrative Medicine & Health, a testament to their collaborative inquiry and scholarly achievement.
"Dr. Chan’s enthusiasm, creativity, and deep expertise embody everything we value in an outstanding mentor," said Shelley Adler, PhD, Director of the Osher Center. "On behalf of all of us at the Osher Center, I am thrilled to celebrate this well-deserved recognition."
Dr. Chan will be formally recognized at the 2025 Inquiry Symposium, to be held on May 12, 2025, from 1:00-4:00 p.m. at Millberry Union on the UCSF Parnassus campus. The Symposium will celebrate the outstanding scholarly work of UCSF students and the faculty who have guided them.
