Dear Colleagues,
We have lost another colleague and friend. Alice F. Chang, PhD died after several decades of struggle with cancer on July 10th, 2021. A friend who was by her side when she died described her process as a soft and peaceful journey. Dr. Alice F. Chang was a scientist-practitioner and founder of the Academy for Cancer Wellness, a nonprofit organization benefiting individuals diagnosed with cancer, and their relatives and friends. Chang is also the author of “A Survivor’s Guide to Breast Cancer,” which is both a memoir and professional guide to diagnosis, treatment and survival.
In addition to serving in academia and establishing a private practice, Alice F. Chang served on numerous boards and committees. She served on the APA Council of Representatives as a state representative/ liaison from 1985 until her election to the APA Board of Directors. She has been secretary/treasurer of the council’s Ethnic Minority Caucus (1990-92), treasurer of the Kansas Psychological Association (1979-85), president of the Kansas Psychological Foundation (1986-92) and treasurer of Div. 31 (Division of State, Provincial, and Territorial Psychological Association Affairs, 1994-95). In addition, she has been elected to the Board of Directors of the Asian American Psychological Association and the National Academy of Practice in Psychology.
She received her undergraduate degree from the University of California, Los Angeles in 1968 and earned her doctorate degree from the University of Southern California in 1973. Chang started her career in academia at the University of Arizona as an assistant professor. While serving as an assistant professor, she established the Marana Community Mental Health Clinic, which serves Yaqui Indians, migrant workers and indigent people in the rural communities around Tucson, Ariz. Chang relocated to Kansas City, Kansas, in 1975 to become a staff psychologist and assistant professor with the University of Kansas Medical Center. While in Kansas, Chang created a model licensure law for psychologists and a continuing education criterion for licensure, which the Kansas legislature adopted and enacted into law. After 15 years in Kansas City, Chang moved back to Arizona, returning to Tucson, Ariz. with vast knowledge and expertise in the medical setting.
Chang’s contributions to the field were recognized on both local and national levels. In 1994, she was the recipient of APA’s Karl F. Heiser Presidential Award for outstanding professional accomplishments on behalf of psychology. In 1996, she received the APA Distinguished Professional Contributions to Public Service Award and the Div. 18 (Psychologists in Public Service) Harold M. Hildreth Award. Alice was a friend, advocate and healer for many of us. She was a giant who contributed greatly to APA and the profession. She will certainly be missed but her voice will live on.
Arthur and I will be sending a letter to Dr. Chang’s family on behalf of APA.