Kao-Ping Chua, MD, PhD
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Section Head
CHEAR
Medical School
Associate Professor of Health Management and Policy
School of Public Health
Department of Pediatrics
NCRC Building 16, SPC 2800, Room G026W
Ann Arbor, MI 48109-2800
[email protected]

Available to mentor

Kao-Ping Chua, MD, PhD
Associate Professor
  • About
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  • Qualifications
  • Center Memberships
  • Research Overview
  • Recent Publications
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    About

    Dr. Kao-Ping Chua is a primary care pediatrician and health services researcher in the Department of Pediatrics and the Susan B. Meister Child Health Evaluation and Research Center at the University of Michigan School of Medicine. He completed his pediatrics residency at Boston Children’s Hospital and Boston Medical Center in 2010. Subsequently, he obtained a Ph.D. in health policy from Harvard University in 2015 with a focus on evaluative sciences and statistics.

    Dr. Chua’s research focuses on the opioid epidemic, the affordability of health care, and low-value care, particularly as these topics relate to children and young adults. He is the recipient of the 2017 Academic Pediatric Association Young Investigator Award and the Nemours Child Health Services Research Award. His studies have been published in high-impact journals such as NEJM, JAMA, and BMJ, and have been covered by national media outlets such as the New York Times, CNN, and NPR.

    Links
    Qualifications
    • Harvard Pediatric Health Services Research Fellowship
      Boston Childrens Hospital, Pediatrics, 2012
    • Boston Combined Residency Program
      Boston Children's Hospital and Boston Medical Center, Pediatrics, 2010
    • PhD
      Harvard University, 2015
    • MD
      Washington University School of Medicine, 2007
    • BS
      Vanderbilt University, 2002
    Center Memberships
    • Center Member
      Institute for Healthcare Policy and Innovation
    Research Overview

    1. Evaluating the appropriateness of opioid prescribing and effects of policies on this prescribing, particularly among pediatric patients and those with acute pain
    2. Assessing the magnitude and implications of cost-sharing for health care services
    3. Measuring the prevalence and correlates of low-value health care

    Recent Publications See All Publications
    • Journal Article
      Mortality in the families of children during the COVID-19 pandemic: evidence from a repeated cross-sectional study of children in the United States
      Chua KP, Conti RM, Becker NV. BMC Public Health, 2025 Dec 1; 25 (1): DOI:10.1186/s12889-025-21528-7
      PMID: 39881286
    • Journal Article
      Rethinking the definition of stage III disease in adrenocortical carcinoma: Assessing the impact of clinical lymph node positive disease
      Lichtbroun BJ, Gao H, Chua K, Pfail J, Passarelli R, Patel HV, Elsamra S, Singer EA, Packiam VT, Golombos D, Jang TL, Ghodoussipour S, Srivastava A. Urologic Oncology: Seminars and Original Investigations, 2025 Apr 1; 43 (4): 269.e7 - 269.e15. DOI:10.1016/j.urolonc.2025.01.004
      PMID: 39893106
    • Journal Article
      Association Between Telehealth Initiation Of Stimulant Therapy And New Substance Use Disorder Diagnoses
      Constantin J, McCabe SE, Pasman E, Wilens T, Chua KP. Health Affairs, 2025 Mar 1; 44 (3): 361 - 369. DOI:10.1377/hlthaff.2024.01026
      PMID: 40030102
    • Journal Article
      Changes in Dispensing of Acid Blockers to US Children: 2016–2023
      Chua K-P, He S, Conti RM. 2025 Jan 4; 1 (1): 1 - 10. DOI:10.1542/pedsos.2024-000282
    • Journal Article
      Prescription Stimulant Dispensing to US Children: 2017–2023
      He S, McCabe SE, Conti RM, Volerman A, Chua KP. Pediatrics, 2025 Feb 1; 155 (2): DOI:10.1542/peds.2024-068558
      PMID: 39864457
    • Journal Article
      P-1638. Prevalence and Correlates of Inappropriate Antibiotic Prescribing in Japanese Primary Care Settings
      Miyawaki A, Ladines-Lim JB, Chua K-P, Tsugawa Y. Open Forum Infectious Diseases, 2025 Jan 30; 12 (Supplement_1): ofae631.1804 DOI:10.1093/ofid/ofae631.1804
      PMID: PMC11779094
    • Journal Article
      National Surgical Quality Improvement Program audit of contemporary perioperative care for radical cystectomy
      Pfail J, Capellan J, Passarelli R, Kaldany A, Chua K, Lichtbroun B, Srivastava A, Golombos D, Jang TL, Pitt HA, Packiam VT, Ghodoussipour S. BJU International, 2025 Jan 1; 135 (1): 140 - 147. DOI:10.1111/bju.16492
      PMID: 39087422
    • Journal Article
      Omission of intraoperative drain placement during robotic partial nephrectomy and robotic radical prostatectomy is safe: an analysis of 18,000 patients
      Pfail J, Drobner J, Kaldany A, Chua K, Lichtbroun B, Passarelli R, Patel H, Srivastava A, Golombos D, Jang TL, Packiam VT, Ghodoussipour S. World Journal of Urology, 2024 Dec 1; 42 (1): DOI:10.1007/s00345-024-05320-7
      PMID: 39470850
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    Health Lab
    Medicaid unwinding linked to opioid addiction treatment disruptions
    Buprenorphine prescription interruptions were most common in states that had the biggest coverage drops during Medicaid unwinding; study has importance for future Medicaid policy.
    woman looking at orange empty pill bottles with daughter on couch
    Health Lab
    Medicaid unwinding disrupted young people’s access to chronic disease medicines
    Children and young adults living in the states with the highest Medicaid enrollment drops during the “unwinding” process were more likely to have disruptions in mental health, asthma and epilepsy medication.
    inhaler green money sign floating in cloud and little girl with black hair coughing
    Health Lab
    Children on Flovent for asthma more likely to stop inhaled steroids after drug pulled from market
    The discontinuation of a popular asthma medication was linked to a higher rate of children stopping inhaled steroid therapy altogether, a study suggests.
    person being handed prescription from doctor hand from phone
    Health Lab
    Does getting ADHD drugs via telehealth increase addiction risk?
    Telehealth treatment of ADHD with stimulant medications has raised worries about addiction risk and substance use disorder; young adults are the main risk group but better screening needed
    drawing of three hands with pills in hand background green
    Health Lab
    Adderall shortage may be associated with increased use of alternative ADHD medication in kids
    Study suggests that the Adderall shortage did not cause many children to stop stimulant therapy altogether but may have led to them switching to alternative stimulants for ADHD.
    counter with credit card machine and white bag
    Health Lab
    Cost may not keep people from filling opioid addiction treatment prescriptions
    Buprenorphine prescriptions almost always get filled by those who receive them to treat opioid addiction, even when costs are higher, suggesting more effort is needed to increase prescribing.