Virginia W Chang

Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences

Professional overview

Virginia W. Chang, MD, PhD is Associate Professor of Global Public Health at NYU School of Global Public Health, Associate Professor of Population Health at NYU School of Medicine, and Affiliated Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at NYU. Dr. Chang is a graduate of the Inteflex Program at the University of Michigan, where she received her BS and MD degrees.  She then completed a residency in internal medicine, fellowship training with the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Clinical Scholars Program, and a PhD in sociology, all at the University of Chicago. Prior to joining NYU, Dr. Chang was in the Division of General Internal Medicine at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania and a staff physician at the Philadelphia Veterans Administration Medical Center.

As a physician and sociologist, Dr. Chang integrates perspectives from medicine, epidemiology, sociology, and demography in her research. Much of her work has focused on obesity and health disparities, engaging topics such as the influence of socially structured context (e.g., racial segregation, income inequality, neighborhood social/physical disorder) on obesity; the relationship of obesity to mortality and disability; the influence of weight status on the quality of medical care; socioeconomic disparities in health and mortality; and the inter-relationships between health, medical technologies, and stratification.

Her research program has been funded by the NICHD, NHLBI, and NIA of the National Institutes of Health, the Veterans Health Administration, the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Measy Foundation, the American Diabetes Association, and the Russell Sage Foundation.  She is the recipient of numerous awards, including the Society of General Internal Medicine Award for Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year and the Marjorie A. Bowman Award from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine for achievement in the health evaluation sciences. Dr. Chang is also a Diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

Dr. Chang’s publications span a variety of disciplines, including journals such as JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, JAMA Internal Medicine, Health Affairs, American Journal of Public Health, American Journal of Epidemiology, Journal of Health & Social Behavior, Social Science & Medicine, Demography, and Social Forces.  She was recently an Associate Editor of the Journal of Health & Social Behavior.

Education

BS, Biomedical Sciences and Philosophy, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

MD, Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI

MA, Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

PhD, Sociology, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

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Fellow, Robert Wood Johnson Clinical Scholars Program, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Resident, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

Intern, Department of Medicine, University of Chicago, Chicago, IL

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Diplomate, American Board of Internal Medicine

Licensed Medical Physician, Commonwealth of Pennsylvania

Honors and awards

Majorie A. Bowman Research Award, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2010)

Outstanding Junior Investigator of the Year, Society of General Internal Medicine (2008)

Robert Austrian Faculty Award for Health Evaluation Reserach, Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (2008)

Physician Faculty Scholars Award, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (2007)

Finalist, Hamolsky Junior Facutly Award, Society of General Internal Medicine (2004)

Finalist, Richard Saller Prize for Best Dissertation in the Division of the Social Sciences, University of Chicago (2003)

Graduate University Fellowship, University of Chicago (2001)

Eli G. Rochelson Memorial Award for Excellence in Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, University of Michigan Medical School (1994)

Biomedical Research Program Scholarship, University of Michigan Medical School (1991)

James B. Angell Scholar, University of Michigan (1988)

William J. Branstrom Freshman Prize, University of Michigan (1986)

Areas of research and study

Global Health

Health Disparities

Internal Medicine

Obesity

Population Health

Social Behaviors

Publications

Publications

Multi-discrimination exposure and biological aging: Results from the midlife in the United States study

Neighborhood Social Environment and Dementia:The Mediating Role of Social Isolation

Time Path of Weight Status Before and After Incident Dementia

Association between racial residential segregation and walkability in 745 U.S. cities

COVID-19 stigmatization after the development of effective vaccines: Vaccination behavior, attitudes, and news sources

Cumulative exposure to extreme heat and trajectories of cognitive decline among older adults in the USA

Health Insurance and Mental Health Treatment Use Among Adults With Criminal Legal Involvement After Medicaid Expansion

Internet usage and the prospective risk of dementia: A population-based cohort study

Anti-Vaccine Attitudes among Adults in the U.S. during the COVID-19 Pandemic after Vaccine Rollout

Obesity and Patient Activation: Confidence, Communication, and Information Seeking Behavior

Chang, J. E., Lindenfeld, Z., & Chang, V. W. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Journal title

Journal of Primary Care and Community Health

Volume

13

10.1177/21501319221129731

Abstract

Abstract

Introduction/Objectives: Patient activation describes the knowledge, skills, and confidence that allow patients to actively engage in managing their health. Prior studies have found a strong relationship between patient activation and clinical outcomes, costs of care, and patient experience. Patients who are obese or overweight may be less engaged than normal weight patients due to lower confidence or stigma associated with their weight. The objective of this study is to examine whether weight status is associated with patient activation and its sub-domains (confidence, communication, information-seeking behavior). Methods: This repeated cross-sectional study of the 2011 to 2013 Medicare Current Beneficiary Survey (MCBS) included a nationally representative sample of 13,721 Medicare beneficiaries. Weight categories (normal, overweight, obese) were based on body mass index. Patient activation (high, medium, low) was based on responses to the MCBS Patient Activation Supplement. Results: We found no differences in overall patient activation by weight categories. However, compared to those with normal weight, people with obesity had a higher relative risk (RRR 1.24; CI 1.09-1.42) of “low” rather than “high” confidence. Respondents with obesity had a lower relative risk (RRR 0.82; CI 0.73-0.92) of “low” rather than “high” ratings of communication with their doctor. Discussion and Conclusions: Though patients with obesity may be less confident in their ability to manage their health, they are more likely to view their communication with physicians as conducive to self-care management. Given the high receptivity among patients with obesity toward physician communication, physicians may be uniquely situated to guide and support patients in gaining the confidence they need to reach weight loss goals.

Patient-Provider Communication Quality, 2002-2016: A Population-based Study of Trends and Racial Differences

Trends in Prescription Opioid and Nonopioid Analgesic Use by Race, 1996–2017

Ultra-processed food consumption among US adults from 2001 to 2018

Juul, F., Parekh, N., Martinez-Steele, E., Monteiro, C. A., & Chang, V. W. (n.d.).

Publication year

2022

Journal title

American Journal of Clinical Nutrition

Volume

115

Issue

1

Page(s)

211-221

10.1093/ajcn/nqab305

Abstract

Abstract

Background: Accumulating evidence links ultra-processed foods to poor diet quality and chronic diseases. Understanding dietary trends is essential to inform priorities and policies to improve diet quality and prevent diet-related chronic diseases. Data are lacking, however, for trends in ultra-processed food intake. Objectives: We examined US secular trends in food consumption according to processing level from 2001 to 2018. Methods: We analyzed dietary data collected by 24-h recalls from adult participants (aged >19 y; N = 40,937) in 9 cross-sectional waves of the NHANES (2001-2002 to 2017-2018). We calculated participants' intake of minimally processed foods, processed culinary ingredients, processed foods, and ultra-processed foods as the relative contribution to daily energy intake (%kcal) using the NOVA framework. Trends analyses were performed using linear regression, testing for linear trends by modeling the 9 surveys as an ordinal independent variable. Models were adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, education level, and income. Consumption trends were reported for the full sample and stratified by sex, age groups, race/ethnicity, education level, and income level. Results: Adjusting for changes in population characteristics, the consumption of ultra-processed foods increased among all US adults from 2001-2002 to 2017-2018 (from 53.5 to 57.0 %kcal; P-trend < 0.001). The trend was consistent among all sociodemographic subgroups, except Hispanics, in stratified analyses. In contrast, the consumption of minimally processed foods decreased significantly over the study period (from 32.7 to 27.4 %kcal; P-trend < 0.001) and across all sociodemographic strata. The consumption of processed culinary ingredients increased from 3.9 to 5.4 %kcal (P-trend < 0.001), whereas the intake of processed foods remained stable at ∼10 %kcal throughout the study period (P-trend = 0.052). Conclusions: The current findings highlight the high consumption of ultra-processed foods in all parts of the US population and demonstrate that intake has continuously increased in the majority of the population in the past 2 decades.

Behavioral correlates of COVID-19 worry: Stigma, knowledge, and news source

Obesity and the Receipt of Prescription Pain Medications in the US

Sociodemographic and Behavioral Factors Associated With COVID-19 Stigmatizing Attitudes in the U.S.

24-Year trends in educational inequalities in adult smoking prevalence in the context of a national tobacco control program: The case of Brazil

The Economic Value of Education for Longer Lives and Reduced Disability

Health, Polysubstance Use, and Criminal Justice Involvement Among Adults With Varying Levels of Opioid Use

Medicaid Expansion, Mental Health, and Access to Care among Childless Adults with and without Chronic Conditions

Overweight or obese BMI is associated with earlier, but not later survival after common acute illnesses

Ultra-processed food consumption and excess weight among US adults

Birth weight, early life weight gain and age at menarche: a systematic review of longitudinal studies

The obesity paradox and incident cardiovascular disease: A population-based study

Trends in the Relationship between Obesity and Disability, 1988-2012