Chang is an accomplished researcher whose work in the mental health addictions fields has been widely published and funded. Her research areas of interest include prescription drug misuse and addictions in older adults and caregiving and medication management for individuals with dementia. Studies she has led have founds that college education is linked to opioid misuse among baby boomers, and that motivational interviewing is an effective tool at curbing opioid misuse in older adults. She is also co-author on several publications that focus on the quality of life and victimization of gay and bisexual men in Taiwan.

Her current work focuses on integrating behavioral health into primary care. She is the recipient of a $1.5 million grant from the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) to integrate evidence-based behavioral health models into primary care clinics located in underserved areas in Western New York. The project aims to transform these clinics into fully integrated practices and to examine the impact of the integration using implementation science methods and approaches.

A few outcomes of the project include improved mental health and substance use among patients, increased routine screening for behavioral health, the introduction of psychiatric consultation through telehealth technology and the use of virtual reality to train providers on behavioral health.

Chang received a nearly $2 million HRSA grant to increase the mental health and addictions workforce in Western New York through interprofessional education and training for UB students as well. HRSA also awarded Chang a $1.35 million grant to partner with local primary and behavioral health care sites and launch the Opioid Workforce Expansion Program, an interdisciplinary, state-of-the-art addictions training program for UB students.

Chang is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing, the Gerontological Society of America and the International Academy of Addictions Nursing.