Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen

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ER character
Jing-Mei 'Deb' Chen
Played by	Ming-Na
Duration	1995, 2000 - 2004
Date of Birth	unknown
Marital Status	single
Occupation	ER attending physician
Family

Dr. Jing-Mei "Deb" Chen is a fictional medical doctor on the long-running television show ER. The character is played by Ming-Na. Originally, Deb Chen entered the series midway through Season 1 as a medical student. Toward the end of that season, Chen decided she was ill suited to a career in medical practice and would prefer to pursue a career in research. The character was then absent for more than four years, returning in mid-Season 6 as Dr. Jing-Mei Chen. After five years, Dr. Chen departed once again in the 11th season.

[edit] Life events

Jing-Mei Chen experiences several difficult transitions in her years at County General Hospital. As mentioned, she suffers a crisis of career early in her medical studies. She arrives in season 1 as a medical student, only to quit near the end of the season after almost killing a man by performing an unauthorized procedure. At that time, she decides that she was better suited to medical research than to working directly with patients. She returns to County General in the season 6 episode "Family Matters" as a 2nd year resident. In this episode, it is revealed that six months after she quit, she was inspired to return to medicine after saving a man's life.

In Season 7, Jing-Mei reveals to Kerry Weaver that she is pregnant with Nurse Frank Bacon's child, when Kerry informs her that she is a candidate for Chief Resident next year. She gives birth to the child on Christmas Eve, accompanied by her longtime friend John Carter. At the end of the season, both she and Carter apply for Chief Resident, but her application is declined due to her time off for maternity leave. She appeals the decision and is promoted to Chief Resident in Season 8.

During the early part of Season 8, Jing-Mei is having a hard time as an authority figure in the ER. Weaver is pressuring her about being indecisive. In the episode "Blood Sex Sugar Magic", Jing-Mei and Dr. Dave Malucci make a hasty decision to perform a procedure before checking all necessary tests, ultimately killing the patient. Because of this mistake, and her history as a medical student, the Risk Management staff, Dr. Robert Romano and Weaver agree to have her resign as Chief Resident. The board determines that because of her maternity leave, she was not at Attending status at the time of the incident and was not authorized to make the decision for the procedure. Weaver, the Attending on shift, was off campus at the time, and did not answer her pages, which means the procedure was unauthorized.

As a result, Jing-Mei quits and tells Weaver to "go to hell". After the holidays, Jing-Mei returns to County to speak to Romano about getting her job back, stating that she has sufficient evidence that Weaver was not wearing her pager the night that the patient died, which could constitute professional negligence. To avoid lawsuits, the hospital re-hires her as a full Attending, much to Weaver's dismay. Their relationship afterward is awkward at best. At the end of Season 8, Jing-Mei begins working with Dr. Gregory Pratt (Mekhi Phifer). They are forced to work with each other when the ER is locked down due to a supposed smallpox outbreak.

In Season 9, Jing-Mei and Pratt start a relationship; however, it fizzles out when Pratt is not serious about their relationship, and they call it quits in Season 10. Also in this season, Jing-Mei flies to China, where her mother died in a car accident, leaving her to care for her ailing father. In succeeding episodes, she is seen struggling with her father's increasing emotional instability and violent outbursts. She later quits in Season 11 on Christmas Eve to care for him.

[edit] See also

List of ER episodes

ER
Official NBC Website | Quotes
Current Characters	Ray Barnett | Tony Gates | Abby Lockhart | Archie Morris | Luka Kovač Gregory Pratt | Neela Rasgotra | Samantha Taggart | Kerry Weaver
Former Characters	Peter Benton | Jeanie Boulet | John Carter | Deb Chen | Victor Clemente | Elizabeth Corday Anna Del Amico | Cleo Finch | Michael Gallant | Mark Greene | Carol Hathaway Lucy Knight | Susan Lewis | Dave Malucci | Robert Romano | Doug Ross
Episodes	List of ER Episodes | Pilot
Other reading	Broadcasters | Notable Guest Stars