Virginia W Chang

Virginia W. Chang is an Associate Professor of Social and Behavioral Sciences at the NYU School of Global Public Health, Associate Professor of Population Health at the NYU School of Medicine, and Affiliated Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology at NYU. She holds dual MD and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan's Inteflex Program and completed residency and fellowship training at the University of Chicago. Her research focuses on obesity, health disparities, and the interplay between social structures, medical technologies, and health outcomes. Dr. Chang has been funded by NIH institutes (NICHD, NHLBI, NIA), the Veterans Health Administration, and prominent foundations like the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. She has authored studies in high-impact journals such as JAMA and Annals of Internal Medicine, and served as Associate Editor of the Journal of Health & Social Behavior.

• Education: BS/MD from University of Michigan; PhD in Sociology from University of Chicago
• Research Themes: Social determinants of obesity, socioeconomic health disparities, medical care quality, and stratification dynamics
• Funding Sources: NIH, VA, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Russell Sage Foundation

Her work integrates perspectives from medicine, epidemiology, sociology, and demography to address systemic health inequities. Awards include recognition for her contributions to health evaluation sciences and junior investigator excellence.