Dr. Kai-Wen Chuang

Dr. Kai-Wen Chuang is a pediatric urologist at UC Irvine Health and with the team at CHOC Children’s Hospital of Orange County, CA. She is an HS Assistant Clinical Professor with clinical interests in hypospadias, bladder and bowel dysfunction, undescended testes, differences of sex development, and spina bifida. She is also a prenatal hydronephrosis specialist.

As a hypospadias specialist, Dr. Chuang also assists with the hospital’s hypospadias program in order to help families make informed decisions about their child’s care. The hospital leads in the diagnosis, treatment, and long-term follow-up care of patients with hypospadias and has complication rates below the national average. Hypospadias affects the urethra and foreskin and occurs when the male urethral opening is not located at the tip of the penis. In hypospadias, it is common for the opening to be located on the underside of the penis. This condition is present at birth and its exact cause is unknown, although there appears to be a genetic component and risk factors include prematurity and low birth weight.

Since the signs and symptoms of hypospadias can resemble other medical problems, the careful examination provided at CHOC Children’s Urology Center is an important step in understanding the necessary next steps.

Correcting hypospadias is often recommended in severe cases to prevent complications later in life, such as abnormal urine stream, sexual dysfunction, and problems with fertility. With the team at CHOC Children’s Urology Center, the specific treatment will be determined based on factors that are carefully considered by the team, including the patient’s age and overall health, the condition’s extent and expected course, and the family’s preference. At CHOC Children’s Urology Center, the patients are followed throughout childhood for checks of urine flow rates and post urination residual measurements. This is just one way that the team provides ongoing care and ensures that the system is operating as needed.

The CHOCH Children’s Urology Center provides access to a pediatric urologist from the beginning of care—an important distinction when it comes to understanding a child’s unique medical needs. Dr. Chuang and the rest of the team are experienced in treating newborn patients and older children who have had unsuccessful treatments elsewhere.

In addition to providing patient care to families, Dr. Chuang has a commitment to scholarly work and medical education, as well as research. Her research interests focus on the long-term outcomes of congenital renal conditions and complex urogenital reconstruction. Dr. Chuang was the first resident physician at the Smith Institute for Urology to receive a departmental award for her dedication in teaching. She was also named the recipient of the Great People Award, which recognized her contributions to the UCSF School of Medicine Community. Additionally, she has been an invited author for several urology textbooks.

Before medical school, Dr. Chuang was an active member of the Berkeley Free Clinic, where she worked as a California state-certified HIV prevention counselor. In this position, she was able to gain an in-depth understanding of common barriers to behavioral changes, a skill that she carries with her as she cares for children with urologic conditions.

Dr. Chuang attended the University of California, Berkley before obtaining her medical doctorate at the School of Medicine at University of California, San Francisco. Her surgical internship and residency were completed at the Arthur Smith Institute for Urology North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System in New York, now known as the Hofstra Northwell School of Medicine. Next, she returned to California to complete her pediatric urology fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco. During her fellowship, Dr. Chuang obtained a certificate in Advanced Training in Clinical Research and received formal training in epidemiology and biostatistics.