Helena Chang, MD

Helena Chang, MD, is a Professor in the Surgery Department, Director, Revlon/UCLA Breast Center, and is a member of  Signal Transduction and Therapeutics, at the Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center in Santa Clara, California. Dr. Chang specializes in Cancer and Surgical Oncology. 

Dr. Chang earned undergraduate degrees at Stanford University in biological sciences and international relations. Before going on to medical school, she worked to influence policies that  improve access to health care in Washington, D.C. Dr. Chang earned her medical degree at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison, Wisconsin. She then completed a residency in urology at the University of California, San Francisco. Dr. Chang went on to complete a fellowship in endourology and minimally invasive surgery at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. 

Dr. Helena Chang's long-term research interest is in the development of immunotherapy in treating adult ductal epithelial cancer. Chang has developed several recombinant live vaccines that actively secrete a tumor antigen and human cytokines. The role of these vaccines in human cancer treatment and prevention is being investigated. The biological activity of the targeted tumor antigen (MUC-1 peptide) and its involvement in cancer invasion and metastases is being characterized by her research team. She is also working closely with clinician-scientists and basic researchers.