YSM Issue 90.4

ALUMNI PROFILE
SANDY CHANG (YC ‘88)
BUILDINGTHENEXTCREATIVETHINKERSINSCIENCE
►BY JESSICA TRINH
Sandy Chang wears a lot of hats. As a professor at the Yale School of
Medicine, he signs out clinical cases and runs an NIH-funded research
lab, studying telomeres and their relationship to cancer and aging. He
holds professorships in the departments of Laboratory Medicine, Pathology,
and Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry. Last spring, he
was appointed to the role of Associate Dean for Science and Quantitative
Reasoning Education at Yale College, a role that involves overseeing
the quality of STEM education and administration of undergraduate research
fellowships. If that wasn’t enough, he also teaches a popular freshman
seminar called “Topics in Cancer Biology.” For Chang, the time he
invests is worth it, as his top priority is nurturing future scientists.
Born in Taiwan, Chang moved to Sarasota, Florida at the age of seven,
where his love of science blossomed. namored by the vast open skies, he
became interested in astronomy. Despite doing astronomy-related research
in high school as part of his dream of becoming an astronomer,
Chang later found himself drawn toward molecular biology. So, in 1984,
he attended a college well-known for its Molecular Biophysics and Biochemistry
major: Yale University.
While at Yale, Chang pursued a diverse array of interests, from writing
about his undergraduate research for our very own Yale Scientific
Magazine to joining the fencing team. He started conducting laboratory
research during the summer after his first year at Yale. Immediately, he
noticed the lack of funding resources available for undergraduate students,
a problem he would always remember.
Mentorship was key to Chang’s success. During his time in college,
Chang found no shortage of mentors, from undergraduate seniors who
gave him advice on MD-PhD programs to the principal investigators
of research labs who nurtured his love of scientific inquiry. Outside of
class, Chang volunteered in the pediatric oncology department at the
Yale New Haven Hospital, where he engaged with patients. The combination
of volunteer work and scientific research led Chang to realize he
couldn’t just pursue an MD or a PhD degree—he wanted both.
Chang graduated from Yale in 1988 and went on to the prestigious
tri-institutional Weill Cornell/Rockefeller/Sloan-Kettering MD-PhD
program. Afterwards, he did his residency in clinical pathology at the
Brigham & Women’s Hospital and a postdoctoral fellowship at the Dana
Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School. Chang then moved to
Houston, Texas to start his first real job as an assistant professor at the
MD Anderson Cancer Center. In 2010, Chang received an opportunity
to return to Yale as a tenured associate professor at Yale Medical School.
When it comes to scientific research opportunities for students, Chang
believes in leveling the playing field. He is a firm believer that anyone
who desires to do research should be able to do so, regardless of their
financial obligations. In particular, the First-Year Summer Research Fel-
PHOTOGRAPHY BY SUNNIE LIU
►Between research and serving as Dean of Science and QR, Sandy
Chang still finds plenty of time to mentor undergrads.
lowship provides financial support that enables students to conduct research
under the supervision of a Yale faculty member. The fellowship
includes a stipend that is more than enough to cover Yale’s summer income
contribution, allowing students to focus on their research.
A recent survey of students who completed the fellowship show
promising results: over 91 percent of rising sophomores stated they
would continue research in the future. Chang strongly believes that early
exposure to quality research opportunities is crucial for fostering a
love of science. “The second you find yourself in a research laboratory
with an inspirational mentor who guides you, it’s like being bitten by the
research bug—you fall immediately in love with the research you are
doing,” Chang said. Funding and support from fellowships are just one
important component to building foundations for those interested in
pursuing research—equally important is mentorship.
For instance, Chang was the first-year advisor to Cayla Broton (ES
’16). Following graduation, Cayla spent a year working with Chang,
making important contributions to telomere biology. She is now getting
interviews to top MD/PhD programs. In addition, in his “Topics
in Cancer Biology” course, Chang guides first years through reading
primary research articles and crafting their own research grant proposals.
These are crucial tools that he believes students will utilize long after
they finish the course.
Today, Chang continues to make time for his undergraduates. You will
often find him having meals with students. He loves to teach, to mentor,
and to foster opportunities for undergraduates to be bitten by that research
bug. “It’s a privilege to help students and to watch them blossom
into scientists,” Chang said.
www.yalescientific.org
October 2017
Yale Scientific Magazine
37