CHOC wants its referring physicians to get to know its specialists. Today, meet Dr. David Chang, a pediatric otolaryngologist.
What is your education and training?
I attended University of Michigan for undergraduate studies in chemical engineering. I then attended Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, in Cleveland, for medical school and graduate school where I obtained a PhD in biomedical engineering. I completed my otolaryngology residency at Stanford University and a pediatric otolaryngology fellowship at Boston Children’s Hospital.
What are your special clinical interests?
As a pediatric ear nose and throat specialist I love working with kids and managing the variety of ENT disorders affecting children. I do have a special interest in treating kids with airway, breathing issues, and obstructive sleep apnea.
What are your most common diagnoses?
Obstructive sleep apnea and recurrent ear infections.
Are you working on any current research?
My background is in biomedical engineering and biomaterials. My goal is to develop new technologies and devices that will improve the care of children. We have several research pursuits in our division currently. We are applying new imaging technology to the management of ear infections, obstructive sleep apnea, sinusitis, as well as cholesteatoma.
How long have you been on staff at CHOC?
This is my first year at CHOC.
What are some new programs or developments within your specialty at CHOC?
In our division, I’m leading two multidisciplinary clinical programs. Our aerodigestive clinic treats kids with airway and feeding issues. The sleep surgery clinic will open in the near future and will treat kids with persistent obstructive sleep apnea after initial tonsillectomy and adenoidectomy.
What would you most like community/referring providers to know about you/your division at CHOC?
Our pediatric otolaryngology group at CHOC is all fellowship trained and love caring for children. We work collaboratively to provide high quality, evidence-based care. We have expertise in the breadth of disorders in ENT and have established a multidisciplinary approach in our cochlear implant, thyroid, aerodigestive, vascular anomalies, cleft and craniofacial programs. Our newest multidisciplinary program will be in sleep surgery.
What inspires you most about the care being delivered here at CHOC?
I’m inspired by CHOC’s dedication to continually improve patient care and safety. CHOC was named a 2016 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS) Enterprise Davies Award recipient for achieving improvements in patient care through the use of health information technology.
Why did you decide to become a pediatric otolaryngologist?
I have always been interested in working with kids. In medical school I enjoyed head and neck anatomy and surgical procedures which led me to an otolaryngology residency. My experience on the pediatric otolaryngology rotations confirmed my decision to focus on caring for children.
If you weren’t a physician, what would you be and why?
I would either be a musician or a biomedical engineer. I grew up playing the violin, piano, and percussion and have always had a love for music. I would have wanted to be in percussion performance. As a biomedical engineer, I like to think of ways to apply engineering principles or biomaterials towards developing innovations to bring to patients.
What are your hobbies/interests outside of work?
I love spending time with my wife and two daughters. I am thankful for their support and appreciative that my daughters make me laugh every day. I also enjoy playing basketball and salsa dancing.
