In my own words

Dr. Yi-Ren Chen, MD is a neurosurgeon and spine surgeon serving the greater Sacramento area and beyond. He specializes in minimally invasive spine, complex and redo spine, spinal deformity/ scoliosis, and brain and spinal tumors. He is also the Head of Neurosurgery at Mercy Medical Group.

I became a physician and neurosurgeon because of my desire to help others and cure neurological and spinal diseases. My father was a physician and the most selfless person I know - as a child, I witnessed firsthand the privilege of being able to help others at a critical point in their lives. After double majoring in biology and history at Stanford University, I received my MD from Stanford and MPH from Johns Hopkins. During training, I was awed by the precision and technical excellence required to perform spine and brain surgery, and subsequently completed both neurosurgery residency and minimally invasive spine fellowship at Stanford. I have been fortunate to author over 150 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters, talks, and abstracts, and continue to do my part in the advancement of neurosurgical care as an Adjunct Clinical Assistant Professor of Neurosurgery at Stanford University Medical Center. My clinical interests include minimally invasive spine surgery, degenerative spinal conditions (lumbar stenosis and back pain), complex spinal deformity surgery, redo/ revision spinal surgery, and tumors. In my free time, I enjoy hiking, running, cooking, and traveling with my wife and kids.

I believe in caring for and treating every patient as though they were my own family – with expertise, compassion, and the highest level of care. I strive to partner with patients to provide individualized and meticulous care, working together to find the best possible treatment plan to achieve a successful outcome. I am also a believer in minimally invasive techniques in both spine and brain surgery, with the goal of getting patients back on their feet as soon as possible.