Interview with Bliss J. Chang, MD

Why did you feel that it was important to write Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine? What does your publication add to the field?  

I felt that it was important that physicians grow up learning not only what to do but why something should be done. It’s easy to fall into the trap of doing everything by following algorithms and stop thinking; this is unfortunate because many times the guidelines do not reflect important practice changes until many years after the evidence comes out. Furthermore, not all patients fit the guidelines! A prime example is the introduction of SGLT2 and DOAC therapies over the past decade. Knowing the evidence is key for being able to optimize patient care, both within and outside the guidelines. I believe that if you are always following the guidelines, you are missing many opportunities to practice the art of medicine that enhances patient care. 

What is the most exciting aspect of Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine? What chapter or topic covered in the this title are you most excited about?  

The most exciting aspect is how the book links common medical practices to the evidence behind them. For a medical trainee, it can often be difficult to find what evidence corresponds to which practice, and to identify which pieces of evidence are the key drivers for change. I think the cardiology chapter is exciting given the breadth and depth of evidence in cardiology, but we also have exciting new evidence on therapies for Covid. 

Who will find the greatest value from Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine and why?  

Early medical trainees will find the best use of this book because of its simple way of introducing often complex evidence behind medical practices. Rather than overwhelming the student with information overload, the book eases the learner in and kindles a passion for evidence-based medicine that will last a lifetime. 

What new ideas, practices, or procedures do you hope your readers take away from Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine?  

I hope readers develop a habit of relying on robust evidence for their clinical practice, always questioning why we do something and whether there is a logical basis. Evidence has many practices that are now outdated or were never evidence-based in the first place, and it is scary to think that these practices may be continued when patient lives are at stake. Evidence is queen and king! 

What problem do you hope the future generation of your specialty will be able to solve?  

I hope that all specialties will embrace evidence-based medicine. Some specialties, such as cardiology, have been really great at this. There are other specialties have less robust evidence available, and I hope to see this change. There are many reasons for this, one prominent reason being funding but I hope that money becomes less of an issue in obtaining quality evidence.  

Is there anything else about Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine you’d like to say?  

I think the book is unique because it is written for trainees by trainees, providing that unique perspective of learning a subject from the viewpoint of a trainee. It is rare to find a work like this as most of medicine is taught exclusively by established professors who may not always understand the struggles that learners face. 

Bliss Chang is a resident physician in Internal Medicine at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University who is immensely passionate about revolutionizing the way medicine is taught. He received his MD from Harvard Medical School. In addition to Introduction to Evidence-based Medicine with Elsevier, he is the lead editor of the Springer Nature title “The Ultimate Medical School Rotation Guide” (former #1 upcoming bestseller on Amazon for medical students and with over 1600 copies sold in the first week after release). Bliss’s unique philosophy to his work in medical education has been to utilize his unique perspective at each stage of medical training to produce educational resources that can be best produced with such a perspective, teaching students the way they want to be taught. He has also created educational videos for the famed First Aid Step 1 book and published numerous research articles on topics such as protein function in leading journals such as Nature Communications. Notably, he is co-founder and CEO of a Massachusetts Institute of Technology funded start-up that aims to help medical providers minimize medical errors which are the third leading cause of death in the U.S. healthcare system and account for over $20 billion in related expenditures. Bliss has been featured in several notable events such as Elsevier’s Global Clinical Challenge which brought together 12 medical students from around the world to compete in clinical challenges, and was featured in the video A Day in the Life of a Harvard Medical Student which has grossed over half a million views. 

Order your copy of Introduction to Evidence-Based Medicine here!