James Chang
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Introducing this week’s Scrubs & Suits Featured Member, James Chang.
Chang is a PGY-5 radiology resident who will be pursuing further specialization by doing a fellowship in pediatric radiology. He specializes in medical imaging, interpreting medical imaging modalities such as radiographs, CT, MRI, ultrasound and nuclear medicine.
A Career is Born
Chang said that his parents were, in many ways, traditional Chinese immigrant parents who “pushed their kids to excel in the sciences.”
“They strongly encouraged me go into medicine,” Chang said. “While the training has been long, I have enjoyed medicine and radiology as a career choice and I am grateful for my parents for their support.”
Branching Out
In 2007, Chang launched his own website, called PoorMD.com.
“It started as a personal finance blog for medical students and residents,” Chang said. “It was during my intern year and I had an interest in personal finance.”
He said that at the time, he was also moonlighting at Northwestern Mutual as a clerical assistant, which he had started doing during medical school to earn some extra money.
“I picked up some tips from my time at Northwestern Mutual and with my insight as an intern, I felt that I could tailor some personal finance information to better suit the needs of physicians in training,” Chang said. “While I had no professional training in personal finance, I felt that I had some good tips to offer.”
After five years of successfully maintaining his site, Chang’s work in personal finance culminated with an ebook called First Aid for Personal Finance: What Every Medical Student and Resident Should Know. It was published through Amazon.com. The book is available for only $2.99.
A New Passion, A New Direction
“My interests then turned to doodling,” Chang said. “I've always liked drawing and I put together an illustrated ebook for physicians called Oh Doctor, The Places You Will Go… which has sold over 5000 copies since publishing in September 2011.”
With his passion for drawing rekindled, Chang converted PoorMD.com into a weekly medical webcomic. His comics have been featured on a variety of sites such as Diagnostic Imaging.
“Drawing medical comics brings me enjoyment and has been a huge stress reliever,” Chang added.
“Laughter is medicine and I hope others can find a chuckle or two out of my work.”
A Balancing Act
Chang and his wife have four children.
“They keep us busy, but balanced,” he said.
He said he keeps his personal and professional life balanced by keeping his interests varied.
“But ultimately, everything revolves around my family,” Chang said. “My kids keep me grounded with homework, piano recitals and karate lessons, while my wife keeps me focused on the important things of life with date nights and chores to do around the house.”
Connect with James Chang Online:
Buy James Chang's Books at Amazon.com:
First Aid for Personal Finance: What Every Medical Student and Resident Should Know
