After graduating in medicine at the University of Cambridge, UK, Dr Karen KL Chan completed her specialty training in Obstetrics and Gynaecology in both UK and Hong Kong.  She obtained the fellowship of the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (HKCOG) in 2005 and completed her subspecialty training in Gynaecological Oncology in 2008. She has obtained HKCOG accreditation of specialist colposcopy trainer and advanced laparoscopy surgeon. She is a fellow of the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists ( RCOG ) since 2012.

She is currently a clinical associate professor at the Department of O&G, the University of Hong Kong. Apart from the clinical work at a tertiary gynaecological oncology referral centre, she is involved in both clinical and basic research, mainly in the area gynaecological malignancies. Her research interests include investigating effective treatment strategies in ovarian cancer with fewer side effects such as the use of traditional Chinese medicine or selective hormonal therapy. Her basic research group is working on the delineation of underlying molecular mechanisms associated with tumorigenesis and chemoresistance of ovarian cancer. Her group has recently reported that the loss of programmed cell death 4 (PDCD4)is associated with the progression of ovarian cancer, and the interaction of C35 and ΔNp73 promotes ovarian cancer chemoresistance. Her group has recently focus on the roles of estrogen receptors in the development and treatment of ovarian cancer.

Dr Chan serves as an active member in the editorial board of Journal of Paediatrics, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, ISRN Obstetrics and Gynaecolgy and Scientifica.  She is also a reviewer for a number of international journals. She is the President of the Hong Kong Society of Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology and a council member of the Hong Kong College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists.  She is involved in several HKCOG committees for improvement of clinical service and training in Hong Kong, as well as the secretary general for AOGIN (Asia-Oceania Organisation in Genital Infection and Neoplasia ).