Elizabeth Chang, MD - Fred Hutch

"Fred Hutch Cancer Center" "Cures Start Here"

Provider

Elizabeth Chang, MD

Psychiatrist, Fred Hutch
Acting Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, University of Washington School of Medicine

Specialty:

Psychiatry

Sloan Clinic

“I'm always trying to learn from you and from my colleagues. Everyone is a little bit different, and it’s interesting to see how each particular patient needs my help.”

— Dr. Chang

What do you value about your work?

It varies each day, but I am always looking forward to meeting people where they are and seeing how I can help. Some days I’m particularly excited about the service we provide, which is unique. I don’t think people realize we have a team specifically focused on cancer-related psychiatric issues. I appreciate that we provide this for people when they’re going through a really hard time in their lives. Other days, I’m just excited to talk to patients who I know quite well, and I’m enthusiastic about what we’re working on together. It’s interesting to encounter people dealing with medical complexities and I look forward to figuring out what's going on.

What do you hope it’s like for a patient to work with you?

I don’t ever want to be seen as being in a position of authority or that people will tell me their symptoms and I will dictate their treatment plan. I want it to feel like a team effort and that people can bring their expertise about themselves and their experience and I can bring my expertise in medicine and psychiatry, and we can figure things out together. I like to try and flatten that hierarchy as much as I can. I hope this means that my patients can feel very much at ease and not intimidated when they work with me.

I'm trained as both a psychiatrist and an internist (doctor of internal medicine). I really appreciate that I can wear both hats here. I'm not providing oncology treatments because that's out of my scope, but I can incorporate those parts of my training into our conversations. I do feel like it allows me to look at more angles of each person and take a more holistic approach. Even though I'm acting solely as a psychiatrist, I feel like my training gives me a wider view of what's going on.

Provider Background

Area of Clinical Practice
Psycho-oncology

I am a psychiatrist who sees patients at the Sloan Clinic.

I see people who are dealing with emotional or behavioral problems that have either gotten more challenging during their cancer treatment or that have been spurred on by the stress of dealing with cancer.

Languages

English

Education, Experience and Certifications

Undergraduate Degree
University of Washington

Medical Degree
University of Washington

Residency
Emory University, Internal Medicine and Psychiatry

Board Certification
Internal Medicine, 2025, American Board of Internal Medicine

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View Dr. Chang's Publications

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