Jamie Chang was born and raised in San Francisco and Daly City and has been involved in Bay Area health issues much of her life. She completed her Ph.D. from U.C. San Francisco in Medical Sociology, where her research focused on the relationship between environments and drug/alcohol use. She has researched and evaluated substance use treatment programs in hospitals, clinics, and in the community, focusing on the experience of people who receive substance use treatment within the healthcare “safety net”.

She has worked on substance use research projects involving patient-provider interactions, homeless and formerly homeless people, women, veterans, methadone maintenance, Asian and Pacific Islanders, and people who inject drugs. Recently, much of her research has focused on the opioid dilemma, documenting the diverse experience of pain patients and providers as they navigate the changing landscape of pain management. In addition to these substantive topics, she has also published theories and methods (the docent method) that contribute to our approaches to public health issues.