Richard Kok Tiong Chan, MBBS FRCP FRCPC ABPN FAHA
Adjunct Professor of Neurology, Western University
Office: University Hospital B10-118
Phone: 519-685-8500 x33293
Secretary: Sherry Conrad
Bio Sketch
Dr. Chan graduated from the National University of Singapore in 1986. He completed a residency in Internal Medicine at the same university followed by a residency in Neurology at the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinic in Madison. From there he completed a three-year fellowship in Cerebrovascular Diseases at Western University. Prior to joining the Western faculty in 2003, Dr. Chan was Assistant Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery at the State University of New York in Buffalo.
Research
Dr. Chan's research focuses on cerebral small vessel disease including the study of diabetes on the brain. Individuals with juvenile-onset diabetes, or Type 1 diabetes, are more prone to a host of problems, including nerve damage in the extremities, kidney failure and stroke. Dr. Chan and his colleagues conducted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans on about 50 people aged 18 to 50 who had juvenile-onset diabetes for at least 10 years. The MRI scans, which can be used to measure the volume of the brain, were compared to brain scans of an equal number of people without diabetes. Dr. Chan and his researchers found nearly 90 percent of the diabetic patients had a brain volume that was lower than the 50th percentile of the non-diabetic subjects. He showed that there are two kinds of anatomical changes related to diabetes: stroke-like lesions and brain shrinkage. Both of them could possibly explain the cognitive problems in diabetics. Dr. Chan presented his on-going research findings on diabetes and the brain at the American Academy of Neurology Annual Meeting in Honolulu in 2003.
Medical Interests
Cerebral Small Vessel Disease, Cerebrovascular Disease, Stroke Prevention
Honours and Awards
- 2003, Best Teacher Award, New York State Univeristy - Buffalo
- 2002, Best Teacher Award, New York State Univeristy - Buffalo
