Grants per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
Dr. Rowland Chang is a rheumatologist and epidemiologist interested in the outcomes of individuals and populations with arthritis and chronic joint symptoms. He sees patients at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab, where he also teaches clinical rheumatology to medical students and residents. He is a faculty member of the Feinberg School of Medicine's Medical Decision Making course and co-leads an epidemiology course in the Graduate School. He thereby participates in the epidemiology education of medical, public health and other graduate students. His research interests focus on understanding and improving functional and disability outcomes of persons with arthritis. With Dorothy Dunlop, PhD, he co-leads the Physical Activity in Rheumatology Research (PARR) group, an interdisciplinary group that studies the consequences of low physical activity/sedentary behavior and tests new approaches to promoting healthy physical activity behaviors in persons with chronic knee symptoms and other rheumatologic and musculoskeletal disorders. He has been a member of the NIH-funded Arthritis Center since 1982, Director of its P30-funded Methodologic Core, Director of the Program in Public Health from 1996-2018, acting Chair of the Department of Preventive Medicine from 2005-2007, and was the Founding Director of the Institute of Public Health and Medicine from 2012-2016. He is currently the Chair of the Arthritis Foundation's Board of Directors.
Dr. Chang's clinical practice has been at the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (formerly the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago) since 1982, where he has led an interdisciplinary group of physicians, nurses, physical and occupational therapists, clinical psychologists, social workers, and other rehabilitation professionals expert in the care of persons with arthritis. He has authored a book on Arthritis Rehabilitation.
Dr. Chang's educational focus is in the teaching of epidemiology to medical students and students enrolled in Northwestern's Program in Public Health which offers the Master of Public Health (MPH) and Master of Science (MS) in Biostatistics degrees. Dr. Chang is noted for his clinical epidemiologic/health services research focused on the outcomes of rehabilitation and orthopaedic surgical treatments for persons with arthritis and the determinants of functional limitation in clinical and community populations with arthritis. Much of his community population work has been done in collaboration with Dorothy Dunlop, PhD. He also has experience performing decision analysis and cost-effective analysis. With several colleagues in the Physical Activity in Rheumatology Research (PARR) group, Dr. Chang has developed and tested several physical activity promotion interventions with NIH support: first was the Improving Motivation for Physical Activity in Arthritis Clinical Trial (IMPAACT), which tested a motivational interviewing based physical activity promotion program for patients with rheumatoid arthritis and knee osteoarthritis. Next was JointADventure, which tested a worksite intervention that promoted healthy physical activity/dietary behaviors for overweight/obese persons with chronic knee symptoms. Most recently, the PARR group, under the leadership of Pamela Semanik, PhD, APN, completed the MobilWise study, which tested a scalable, technology-based, worksite physical activity intervention that included wearable physical activity monitors and remote motivational interviewing based coaching. The research group is currently planning a large multi-centered clinical trial to test a "stepped" strategy to attain and sustain healthy physical activity behaviors in employees with chronic knee symptoms.
Certifications and Licenses
| Internal Medicine | |
| Rheumatology |
Training Experience
| 1979 | Residency, Mount Auburn Hospital |
| 1982 | Fellowship, Brigham & Women's Hospital |
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
MPH, Public Health, Harvard University
… → 1982
MD, Medicine, Tufts University School of Medicine
… → 1976
Research interests keywords
- Arthritis
- Arthritis - Rheumatoid
- Epidemiology
- Health Services Research
- Osteoarthritis
- Physical activity
- Preventive Medicine
- Public Health
- Rehabilitation/Therapy
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Recent external collaboration on country/territory level. Dive into details by clicking on the dots or
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Computer-guided Action Planning to Support Physical Activity (CAPPA) for Employees with Chronic Knee Symptoms
Chang, R. W. (PD/PI) & Muhammad, L. N. (Co-Investigator)
Marquette University, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
12/21/22 → 11/30/24
Project: Research project
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Knee Arthroplasty AcTivity (KArAT) Trial
Chang, R. W. (PD/PI) & Chang, R. W. (PD/PI)
Brigham and Women’s Hospital, National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
9/23/22 → 8/31/27
Project: Research project
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Methodologic Core
Chmiel, J. S. (Co-Investigator), Chmiel, J. S. (Co-Investigator), Chmiel, J. S. (Co-Investigator), Franklin, P. D. (Co-Investigator), Franklin, P. D. (Co-Investigator), Ghomrawi, H. (Co-Investigator), Ghomrawi, H. (Co-Investigator), Kwasny, M. J. (Co-Investigator), Muhammad, L. N. (Co-Investigator), Muhammad, L. N. (Co-Investigator), Spring, B. (Co-Investigator), Starren, J. (Co-Investigator), Starren, J. (Co-Investigator), Van Horn, L. (Co-Investigator), Van Horn, L. (Co-Investigator), Walunas, T. L. (Co-Investigator), Winter, D. R. (Co-Investigator), Winter, D. R. (Co-Investigator), Chang, R. W. (Other), Chang, R. W. (Other), Lee, J. (Other), Lee, J. (Other) & Starren, J. (Other)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
9/21/22 → 8/31/27
Project: Research project
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Core Center for Clinical Research at Northwestern University
Sharma, L. (PD/PI), Sharma, L. (PD/PI), Bass, M. (Co-Investigator), Brown, C. H. (Co-Investigator), Chmiel, J. S. (Co-Investigator), Cuda, C. M. (Co-Investigator), Franklin, P. D. (Co-Investigator), Ghomrawi, H. (Co-Investigator), Holmes, K. (Co-Investigator), Holmes, K. (Co-Investigator), Kershaw, K. N. (Co-Investigator), Kershaw, K. N. (Co-Investigator), Lattie, E. G. (Co-Investigator), Muhammad, L. N. (Co-Investigator), Pope, R. M. (Co-Investigator), Pope, R. M. (Co-Investigator), Spring, B. (Co-Investigator), Tandon, D. (Co-Investigator), Van Horn, L. (Co-Investigator), Wehbe, F. (Co-Investigator), Winter, D. R. (Co-Investigator), Chang, R. W. (Other), Lee, Y. C. (Other), Lee, J. (Other), Lee, Y. C. (Other), Ramsey-Goldman, R. (Other) & Rothrock, N. (Other)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
9/21/22 → 8/31/27
Project: Research project
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Social Determinants and Timeliness of Total Knee Replacement: A National Perspective
Ghomrawi, H. (PD/PI), Ghomrawi, H. (PD/PI), Ghomrawi, H. (PD/PI), Bass, M. (Co-Investigator), Bass, M. (Co-Investigator), Bass, M. (Co-Investigator), Chang, R. W. (Co-Investigator), Chang, R. W. (Co-Investigator), Chang, R. W. (Co-Investigator), Dunlop, D. D. (Co-Investigator), Dunlop, D. D. (Co-Investigator), Dunlop, D. D. (Co-Investigator), Franklin, P. D. (Co-Investigator), Franklin, P. D. (Co-Investigator), Franklin, P. D. (Co-Investigator), French, D. D. (Co-Investigator), French, D. D. (Co-Investigator), French, D. D. (Co-Investigator), Lee, J. (Co-Investigator), Lee, J. (Co-Investigator) & Lee, J. (Co-Investigator)
National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases
3/19/21 → 10/31/26
Project: Research project
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Characterization of sleep disturbance in established rheumatoid arthritis patients: exploring the relationship with central nervous system pain regulation
Aydemir, B., Muhammad, L. N., Song, J., Reid, K. J., Grimaldi, D., Isaacs, A., Carns, M., Dennis-Aren, K., Dunlop, D. D., Chang, R. W., Zee, P. C. & Lee, Y. C., Dec 2024, In: BMC Rheumatology. 8, 1, 33.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
Corrigendum to “A randomized trial of a motivational interviewing intervention to increase lifestyle physical activity and improve self-reported function in adults with arthritis” [Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism 47(2018): 732–740, (S0049017217303621), (10.1016/j.semarthrit.2017.10.003)]
Gilbert, A. L., Lee, J., Ehrlich-Jones, L., Semanik, P. A., Song, J., Pellegrini, C. A., Pinto, D., Dunlop, D. D. & Chang, R. W., Jun 2024, In: Seminars in Arthritis and Rheumatism. 66, 152451.Research output: Contribution to journal › Comment/debate › peer-review
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Comparison of Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System Computerized Adaptive Testing Versus Fixed Short Forms in Juvenile Myositis
Patel, R. N., Esparza, V. G., Lai, J. S., Gray, E. L., Reeve, B. B., Chang, R. W., Cella, D. & Ardalan, K., Feb 2023, In: Arthritis Care and Research. 75, 2, p. 381-390 10 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access7 Scopus citations -
Incorporating Expected Outcomes Into Clinical Decision-Making for Total Knee Arthroplasty
Ghomrawi, H. M. K., Riddle, D. L., Hasan, M. M., Song, J., Kang, R. H., Mandl, L. A., Parks, M. L., Moussa, M., Beal, M., Russell, L. A., Mathias, J. S., Semanik, P., Dunlop, D. D., Franklin, P. D. & Chang, R. W., May 2023, In: Arthritis Care and Research. 75, 5, p. 1132-1139 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
Open Access7 Scopus citations -
Modifiable physical and behavioural factors associated with widespread pain in older adults with radiographic evidence of knee osteoarthritis
Aydemir, B., Muhammad, L. N., Song, J., Chang, A. H., Dunlop, D. D., Chang, R. W. & Lee, Y. C., Dec 2023, In: Musculoskeletal Care. 21, 4, p. 1090-1097 8 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review