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Alex Chang

Clinical Investigator
Department of Population Health Sciences

LOCATION(S)
Henry Hood Center for Health Research Building
100 North Academy Avenue
Danville, PA 17822 
Phone: 570-271-6393
achang@geisinger.edu

Department of Nephrology
100 North Academy Avenue
Danville, PA 17822 
Phone: 570-271-6393
achang@geisinger.edu

Alexander Chang, MD, MS

Research Interests

Dr. Chang is a nephrologist, assistant professor of Clinical Research and co-director of the Kidney Health Research Institute at Geisinger. He received his undergraduate degree in biology and medical degree from Ohio State University. He completed his internal medicine residency and nephrology fellowship at Loyola University Medical Center, where he also obtained a Master of Science in Clinical Research Methods. With active funding from the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases and National Kidney Foundation, Dr. Chang is engaged in research dedicated to preventing and delaying CKD progression and its complications. His research areas include interventional studies focused on improving lifestyle behaviors in patients with hypertension and patients with early CKD; using observational data from Geisinger and other large cohorts to identify potential avenues to improve management of CKD and hypertension; and health system interventions to improve early recognition and optimized management of early kidney disease.

Recent Publications

  • Chang AR, Kramer H, Wei G, Boucher R, Grams ME, Berlowitz D, Bhatt U, Cohen DL, Drawz P, Punzi H, Freedman BI, Haley W, Hawfield A, Horwitz E, McLouth C, Morisky D, Papademetriou V, Rocco MV, Wall B, Weiner DE, Zias A, Beddhu S; SPRINT Research Group. Effects of Intensive Blood Pressure Control in Patients with and without Albuminuria: Post Hoc Analyses from SPRINT. Clin J Am Soc Nephrol. 2020 Aug 7;15(8):1121-1128. doi: 10.2215/CJN.12371019. Epub 2020 Jul 15. PMID: 32669306.
    This article selected as “Best of the American Society of Nephrology Journals” session for the ASN Kidney Week 2020

  • Shin JI, Sang Y, Chang AR, Dunning SC, Coresh J, Inker LA, Selvin E, Ballew SH, Grams ME. The FDA Metformin Label Change and Racial and Sex Disparities in Metformin Prescription among Patients with CKD. J Am Soc Nephrol. 2020 Aug;31(8):1847-1858. doi: 10.1681/ASN.2019101119. Epub 2020 Jul 13. PMID: 32660971.
  • Sumida K, Nadkarni GN, Grams ME, Sang Y, Ballew SH, Coresh J, Matsushita K, Surapaneni A, Brunskill N, Chadban SJ, Chang AR, Cirillo M, Daratha KB, Gansevoort RT, Garg AX, Iacoviello L, Kayama T, Konta T, Kovesdy CP, Lash J, Lee BJ, Major RW, Metzger M, Miura K, Naimark DMJ, Nelson RG, Sawhney S, Stempniewicz N, Tang M, Townsend RR, Traynor JP, Valdivielso JM, Wetzels J, Polkinghorne KR, Heerspink HJL. Conversion of Urine Protein-Creatinine Ratio or Urine Dipstick Protein to Urine Albumin-Creatinine Ratio for Use in Chronic Kidney Disease Screening and Prognosis: An Individual Participant-Based Meta- analysis. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Jul 14. doi: 10.7326/M20-0529. Epub ahead of print. PMID: 32658569.
  • Qiao Y, Shin JI, Chen TK, Inker LA, Coresh J, Alexander GC, Jackson JW, Chang AR, Grams ME. Association Between Renin-Angiotensin System Blockade Discontinuation and All-Cause Mortality Among Persons With Low Estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate. JAMA Intern Med. 2020 May 1;180(5):718-726. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2020.0193. PMID: 32150237; PMCID: PMC7063544.
  • Titan SM, Laureati P, Sang Y, Chang AR, Evans M, Trevisan M, Levey AS, Grams ME, Inker LA, Carrero JJ. Bisphosphonate utilization across the spectrum of eGFR. Arch Osteoporos. 2020 May 9;15(1):69. doi: 10.1007/s11657-020-0702-2. PMID: 32385586.
  • Juraschek SP, Kovell LC, Appel LJ, Miller ER 3rd, Sacks FM, Christenson RH, Rebuck H, Chang AR, Mukamal KJ. Associations Between Dietary Patterns and Subclinical Cardiac Injury: An Observational Analysis From the DASH Trial. Ann Intern Med. 2020 Jun 16;172(12):786-794. doi: 10.7326/M20-0336. Epub 2020 May 19. PMID: 32423348; PMCID: PMC7388686.
  • Juraschek SP, Miller ER 3rd, Chang AR, Anderson CAM, Hall JE, Appel LJ. Effects of Sodium Reduction on Energy, Metabolism, Weight, Thirst, and Urine Volume: Results From the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)-Sodium Trial. Hypertension. 2020 Mar;75(3):723-729. doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.119.13932. Epub 2020 Jan 20. PMID: 31957521; PMCID: PMC7278848.
  • Chang AR, Anderson C. Dietary Phosphorus Intake and the Kidney. Annu Rev Nutr. 2017 Aug 21;37:321-346.
  • Chang AR, Grams ME, Navaneethan SD. Bariatric Surgery and Kidney-Related Outcomes. Kidney Int Rep. 2017 Mar;2(2):261-270.
  • Chang AR, Miller ER 3rd, Anderson CA, Juraschek SP, Moser M, White K, Henry B, Krekel C, Oh S, Charleston J, Appel LJ. Phosphorus Additives and Albuminuria in Early Stages of CKD: A Randomized Controlled Trial. Am J Kidney Dis. 2017 Feb;69(2):200-209
  • Chang AR, Evans M, Yule C, Bohn L, Young A, Lewis M, Graboski E, Gerdy B, Ehmann W, Brady J, Lawrence L, Antunes N, Green J, Snyder S, Kirchner HL, Grams M, Perkins R. Using pharmacists to improve risk stratification and management of stage 3A chronic kidney disease: a feasibility study. BMC Nephrol. 2016 Nov 8;17(1):168.
  • Chang AR, Chen Y, Still C, Wood GC, Kirchner HL, Lewis M, Kramer H, Hartle JE, Carey D, Appel LJ, Grams ME. Bariatric surgery is associated with improvement in kidney outcomes. Kidney Int. 2016 Jul;90(1):164-71.

Education

BS, The Ohio State University, 2000-2003
MD, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, 2003-2007
Internal Medicine Residency, Loyola University, 2007-2010
MS, Loyola University, 2009-2011
Nephrology Fellowship, Loyola University, 2010-2012
Renal Epidemiology, Postdoc Research Fellowship, Johns Hopkins University, 2012-2013

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