Dr. Stephanie H. Chang, M.D

Stephanie H. Chang is an important and world-renowned medical doctor. Dr. Chang specializes in the world of thoracic and transplant surgeries. Thoracic surgery focuses on organs within the chest cavity, such as the heart and lungs, whereas transplant surgery focuses on diseased or damaged organs that need to be replaced. She has made significant strides and discoveries in the medical world, while being an honored community doctor dedicated to helping patients. Along with extraordinary patient care, Dr. Chang is known for being the surgical director of the NYU Lung Transplant program. Yearly, this program oversees 70 transplants similar to the double lung transplant. It offers advanced medical treatment, especially for those with severe lung disease. 

Dr. Stephanie H. Chang is known for leading the surgical team that performed the world's first fully robotic double lung transplant. She represented a breakthrough in minimally invasive surgery. Dr. Chang was able to lead the surgery, utilizing a highly developed technology piece called the daVinci Xi robotic system.  Dr. Chang was able to lead the surgery with good outcomes. The 57-year-old woman undergoing the surgery received incisions no larger than two inches. Traditional surgeries involve large incisions, which lead to an outcome of pain and slow healing.  Dr. Chang’s goal was to reduce pain, improve recovery time, and provide good hospice care for the patients by using minimally invasive technology.

This breakthrough gave Dr. Stephanie H. Chang a spot in the 2025 TIMES Health 100, where she was recognized as a transformative figure. Dr. Chang has performed over 350 lung transplants and over 500 robotic surgeries. She is known to have made history when she performed the world's first double lung transplant. Since her first breakthrough, she has repeated this surgery at least 3 times. 

Beyond her surgical capabilities and achievements, Dr.Chang has worked hard towards research in lung transplants. She took numerous initiatives, including the viability of donor lungs obtained from cardiac arrest patients and flight transport for donor lungs to reduce the carbon footprint. Between leading breakthroughs in surgical history, providing excellent care for patients, and expanding research on lung transplants, Dr. Stephanie H. Chang has been a significant medical doctor in history. 

Written by Urvi Vora at Incisionary

APA References

Chang, & Geraci. (n.d.). Stephanie H. Chang, MD. Patient Care at NYU Langone Health. https://nyulangone.org/doctors/1013238823/stephanie-h-chang

Dr. Stephanie H. Chang, MD | New York, NY | thoracic surgeon | US news doctors. (n.d.). https://health.usnews.com/doctors/stephanie-chang-733997

Etienne, V. (2024, November 21). Surgeons perform first-ever robotic double lung transplant on 57-year-old “adrenaline junkie” (exclusive). People.com. https://people.com/first-robotic-double-lung-transplant-exclusive-8749065

Park, A. (2025, May 8). Time100 health: Tedros Adhanom ghebreyesus. Time. https://time.com/collections/time100-health-2025/7279664/tedros-adhanom-ghebreyesus-2/