Daniela P Ladner

Daniela P Ladner, MD, MPH is a Professor in the Department of Surgery at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, and Vice Chair of Research and Innovation. She serves as the Founding Director of the Northwestern University Transplant Outcomes Research Collaborative (NUTORC) and contributes to Medical Social Sciences (Determinants of Health).

• Education: MD (University of Zurich, 1996), MPH (Harvard School of Public Health, 2008), Executive Leadership in Academic Medicine (Drexel University, 2022)
• Postgraduate Training: Postdoctoral Fellow at Yale University (2001), Resident in General Surgery at Stanford University Hospital (2006), Fellow at Stanford University Hospital (2008)

Research Interests focus on transdisciplinary studies in (1) epidemiology and risk prediction of cirrhosis, and (2) process improvement in transplantation. Her work bridges clinical outcomes, public health, and health disparities, supported by NIH grants and institutional awards.

Recent Publications highlight cost comparisons of cirrhosis with other chronic diseases, disease burden metrics in cirrhosis, frailty impacts on transplant outcomes, and patient-reported side effect measures for transplant recipients. These align with her expertise in liver disease epidemiology and transplantation process optimization.

Scientific Awards include:

• Election to the American Society for Clinical Investigation (ASCI) and American Surgical Association (ASA) (2022-2023)
• Mentor of the Year and Teaching Awards (2016-2023)
• Fellow Research Awards and Abstract Distinctions (2007-2010)
• Stuart Altman Fellowship in Health Policy (2010)

Leadership & Grants: Program Director for NIH-sponsored Northwestern Summer Research for Medical Students (T35) and Transplant Surgery Scientist Training Program (T32). Principal Investigator for R01 and U24 grants addressing cirrhosis prediction and transplantation equity.

Labs & Teams: Founded NUTORC, fostering interdisciplinary transplant research, and collaborates with the CAPriCORN Team on population-based health studies.