Ching-Fei Chang, MD

Dr. Ching-Fei Chang began her academic career by graduating magna cum laude from the University of California-Berkeley in the field of Molecular and Cellular Biology. She subsequently studied medicine at the University of California-San Diego and completed her residency in internal medicine at Kaiser Permanente Los Angeles where she also served as chief resident in her final year. Intrigued by the complexities of intensive care medicine and lung physiology, she accepted a fellowship position in pulmonary and critical care medicine at Harbor-UCLA, and, after graduation, continued her interest in medical education by joining the faculty at the University of Southern California, Keck School of Medicine.

In 2007, Dr. Chang was made Director of Bronchoscopy at the LAC+USC Medical Center. Her top priority has been to transform this county hospital into one of the most cutting-edge centers of interventional pulmonology on the west coast. Under her leadership, it now offers advanced bronchoscopic diagnostic and therapeutic services such as endobronchial ultrasound, electromagnetic navigation, medical thoracoscopy, and bronchial thermoplasty, in addition to pre-existing capabilities of argon plasma coagulation, electrocautery, balloon dilation, and stent placement.

Complementing her interest in pulmonary procedures, Dr. Chang also has a professional focus and interest in lung cancer. She is an integral member of the USC Lung Cancer Program, and runs a weekly private practice clinic at the Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center which is devoted to not only the evaluation and management of lung nodules and masses, but also the treatment of pulmonary complications stemming from aggressive oncologic therapy. As part of the multidisciplinary lung cancer team, Dr. Chang provides the interventional pulmonary support for minimally-invasive approaches to the diagnosis of thoracic lesions.

Dr. Chang's other interests include critical care ultrasonography, simulation training, and medical education. She serves as an Associate Program Director and a Research Mentor for the USC Pulmonary and Critical Care Fellowship, which is one of the largest training programs in the nation with a total of 21 fellows. Each year, she organizes and teaches the first-year fellow Skills Simulation Workshop, as well as supervises the on-going Program Improvement Projects for the Division. She also provides ambulatory didactic teaching for the Internal Medicine program at LAC+USC and helps teach the Year Two pulmonary curriculum for the Keck School of Medicine. Dr. Chang has also been active in educating community physicians by organizing, chairing, and lecturing at several regional pulmonary conferences in the past 3 years, and recently received a Distinguished CHEST Educator national award for her years of service in teaching endobronchial ultrasound for the American College of Chest Physicians. She has also been nominated as a top doctor on multiple occasions for the Pasadena Magazine, LA Magazine, and Castle Connolly annual polls.

Her philosophy of care:
As an academic pulmonologist, I often see clients with extremely complicated medical histories desiring a second opinion. Therefore, although I enjoy my primary role as an interventional bronchoscopist, I know that these elusive diagnoses commonly require more than just cutting-edge technology. During my consultations, I strongly believe in starting over, thinking outside of the box, and letting the patient talk freely. It is impossible to deliver top-quality accurate care if you only hear half the story.

In my experience, listening to the patient carefully often yields more clues to the answer than just a physical exam and battery of tests. I have always been most successful when the patient is an active partner in the decision-making and execution of the treatment plan. In addition, the feeling of being understood and believed goes a long way towards a patient's healing. Thus, my philosophy of care is simple: the patient and I are a team, and together, we will find the solution.