Christopher Chang, MD, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the University of New Mexico and the New Mexico VA Health Care System. As a physician-scientist, his long term research and clinical interests center on gut microbes and their role in GI health and disease. Dr. Chang’s clinic provides diagnostic and treatment options for patients who suffer from sequelae of GI infection, such as irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and small intestinal bacterial overgrowth, as well as other gut motility disorders.

Board certified in internal medicine and gastroenterology, Dr. Chang has been awarded investigative grants from the National Institute of Health and the American Gastroenterological Association. His research has focused on mechanisms of gut microbial pathogenesis and the impact of intestinal bacterial on immune responses, gut motility and other physiological processes. Most recently, he developed and is characterizing an animal model for post-infectious IBS to better understand the pathogenesis of IBS and identify therapeutic targets.

Dr. Chang has authored peer-reviewed research articles in numerous basic science and clinical investigative journals, and reviews papers for Journal of Bacteriology, Infection and Immunity, The IBD Journal, and other publications. He is a member of several scientific and professional organizations including the American Society for Microbiology, American Gastroenterological Association, and American College of Gastroenterology.

Dr. Chang received his bachelor’s degree from Harvard University and his MD and PhD from the University of California, San Francisco. He completed his residency and gastroenterology fellowship at UCLA Medical Center, and finished a post-doctoral research fellowship in the Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Molecular Genetics at UCLA.

The mission of the University of New Mexico is to serve as New Mexico’s flagship institution of higher learning through demonstrated and growing excellence in teaching, research, patient care, and community service.

UNM’s ongoing commitment serves to:

Educate and encourage students to develop the values, habits of mind, knowledge, and skills that they need to be enlightened citizens, contribute to the state and national economies, and lead satisfying lives.

Discover and disseminate new knowledge and creative endeavors that will enhance the overall well-being of society.

Deliver health care of the highest quality to all who depend on us to keep them healthy or restore them to wellness.

Actively support social, cultural, and economic development in our communities to enhance the quality of life for all New Mexicans.