Yu-Ping Chang

Yu-Ping Chang is a Professor and Senior Associate Dean at the School of Nursing, University at Buffalo. She holds the Patricia H. and Richard E. Garman Endowed Professorship and serves as Chair of Family, Community & Health Systems Sciences. Her work focuses on substance use in older adults, dementia caregiving, and integrating behavioral health into primary care.

• PhD in Nursing, Saint Louis University
• MS in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University
• BS in Nursing, Kaohsiung Medical University

Her research examines prescription drug misuse among baby boomers, motivational interviewing for opioid misuse, and sexual stigma in LGBTQ+ populations. She leads large-scale projects funded by HRSA grants, including a $1.5M award to transform primary care clinics in underserved areas through integrated behavioral health models.

Recent publications analyze psychosocial phenotypes in aging, sexual stigma impacts, and e-cigarette use trends. She employs implementation science and machine learning in studies on dementia caregiver burdens and virtual reality training for behavioral health providers.

• Ellen Volpe Memorial Award (x2), Fall 2020
• First Place, Faculty Posters, Fall 2020
• Exceptional Scholars: Sustained Achievement Award, 2020
• Fellow, International Academy of Addictions Nursing, 2019
• Fellow, American Academy of Nursing, 2018

As Vice Chair for the Expert Panel on Psychiatric, Mental Health, and Substance Use in the American Academy of Nursing and Chair of the Research Interest Group on Mental Health Substance Use at Eastern Nursing Research Society, she has shaped interdisciplinary training programs. Her work also addresses healthcare worker burnout and COPD symptom management using mindfulness techniques.