Ilwoong Chang, MD, a gastroenterologist of Schererville, Ind., died Dec. 15 at age 82, according to an obituary published by nwi.com Dec. 18.
Dr. Chang earned his medical degree from Yonsei Medical School in Seoul, South Korea. From 1967 to 1970 he served in medical missions in rural parts of South Korea before being appointed a Lieutenant Naval Medical Officer. He served as the medical officer during the Vietnam War in 1969.
He went on to complete a residency in internal medicine at Wayne State University Hospital in Detroit and a gastroenterology fellowship at the University of Illinois in Chicago. He became a U.S. citizen in 1976 and completed several teaching and lectureship roles at the University of Illinois and Indiana University Northwest in Gary. He served in leadership roles at Community Hospital in Munster, Ind., and St. Catherine's Hospital in East Chicago, Ind.
He served in multiple medical societies in the region and practiced as a gastroenterologist in Northwest Indiana for 40 years.