Sophia Chang, M.D., M.P.H., has been appointed to head up the California HealthCare Foundation's new Chronic Disease Care program. Chang's area will focus on resolving the issues that keep many Californians with chronic disease from receiving care based on the best available science and practice. Chronic conditions, such as asthma and diabetes, affect the health and well being of millions of Californians, particularly low-income populations and racial and ethnic minorities.

"We are very fortunate to have Dr. Chang leading this important area of our Foundation's work. She is passionate about chronic care issues and the challenges faced by underserved patients with serious conditions," said Mark D. Smith, M.D., M.B.A., president and CEO of the California HealthCare Foundation (CHCF). "Her experience and infectious energy, coupled with her understanding of how California's complicated health system works — and doesn't work — will be powerful forces for change. I am thrilled that she has joined our team."

Research shows that even though there are well-developed, widely accepted methods for treating certain chronic illnesses, many patients are not getting care based on these medical guidelines, according to Smith. Some of the approaches the Chronic Disease Care program will explore include promoting evidence-based care; increasing use of technology to support care delivery; redesigning practice/workflow to support quality care; and helping consumers and patients understand their illness and appropriate treatment.

Chang comes to CHCF from the Veteran Health Administration's Center for Quality Management in Public Health, where she had been director. Prior to that she was director of the HIV/AIDS program for the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, where her work informed national debates in HIV policy. Her first major role in the HIV/AIDS epidemic was as director of AIDS Health Services for the San Francisco Department of Public Health, where she oversaw the Ryan White CARE Programs. Chang also served as medical director of the San Francisco Health Plan, a managed care plan for Medicaid recipients.

Chang plans to continue practicing general internal medicine at San Francisco General Hospital as a UCSF faculty member. She received her masters in public health at the University of California at Berkeley, her medical degree at Columbia University's College of Physicians and Surgeons, and her undergraduate degree from Amherst College.