For this month’s Fellow Spotlight, we highlight Allen Chang, MD, a fellow in the Clinical Informatics Fellowship. Here, Dr. Chang describes his clinical background, why he chose UMass for his fellowship, and a recent sightseeing trip around the U.S.!  

 


Hometown? 
Westborough, MA. 

What are your clinical and research interests?  
My clinical background is in general internal medicine and primary care, and I have long held an interest in medical education, clinician experience and wellness, and patient care. Prior to joining the fellowship, I was a practicing primary care internist for 10 years. Between 2012-2018, I was a faculty member at UMass Chan with the Benedict practice and was involved with the UMass Internal Medicine Residency and clerkship. Subsequently, I transitioned to Reliant Medical Group in 2019 and worked in care transformation and provider wellness. More recently, I have become interested in the application of generative AI in healthcare settings, with a particular focus on how AI can help improve patient care and clinician experience. This interest has brought me back to UMass by way of the Clinical Informatics fellowship.  

Why did you choose UMass for your fellowship? 
As noted, I am a central Massachusetts native, having grown up in Westborough. I attended medical school at UMass Chan, and ever since then, I have been brought back by the gravitational pull of central MA and the UMass clinical/educational systems. My increasing fascination with generative AI and large language models coincided with the establishment of UMass’s new fellowship in Clinical Informatics, and joining the program was the perfect opportunity for me to meaningfully explore the role of these new tools in the delivery of healthcare, not just for patients, but for clinicians as well.  

Where is your favorite place to travel for vacation and why?  
My wife (a fellow physician) and I took a year off to travel from 2022 to 2023 with our two children (ages seven and nine at the time). This consisted of an RV trip around the US (with stops at many national parks), along with visits to countries in Asia, Oceania, and Europe. Despite having traveled for a year, I’m pleased to report that we don’t have a favorite place, simply because there is a never-ending supply of beauty and splendor in our world. We feel like we’ve barely scratched the surface!  

Who is your favorite author? 
I recently have been reading works by Ted Chiang (which are always thought-provoking and insightful) and just started reading “Range: Why Generalists Triumph in a Specialized World” (in honor of general internal medicine).