David Cella

David Cella is a Professor at Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine with primary appointments in the Department of Medical Social Sciences, and secondary appointments in Preventive Medicine (Biostatistics and Informatics), Neurology (Ken and Ruth Davee Department), Pediatrics, and Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. He serves as Director of the Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes within the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM) and holds the Ralph Seal Paffenbarger Chair Emeritus. As former chair of Medical Social Sciences, he leads transdisciplinary research initiatives focusing on patient-centered outcomes measurement.

Education:

• PhD: Loyola University of Chicago (1984)
• Intern: Loyola University Counseling Center, Psychology (1980)
• Intern: Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic, Psychology (1982)
• Fellow: Payne Whitney Psychiatric Clinic, Psychiatry (1983)
• Fellow: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, Psychiatry (1986)

Dr. Cella pioneered the field of patient-reported outcomes measurement, developing the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) system and leading the NIH PROMIS initiative. His research focuses on ensuring patient voices inform clinical care through sensitive measurement tools that address health disparities and developmental variations across the lifespan. He specializes in creating item banks and instruments for both clinical and research applications, with particular emphasis on cancer, neurology, and cross-cultural validity.

His recent publications demonstrate sustained leadership in measurement science, with 2024-2025 work advancing mHealth interventions for cancer survivors, cross-walking between major quality-of-life systems (PROMIS/EQ-5D), and validating assessment tools for specialized cancer populations. These studies reflect his enduring focus on practical implementation of patient-centered metrics in real-world clinical settings.

Major Awards:

• Elected to National Academy of Medicine (2018)
• Gustav O. Lienhard Award for Advancement of Health Care (2016)
• Web of Science Highly Cited Researcher (2015)
• Northwestern Tripartite Award (2023)
• Multiple ISOQOL Career Achievement and Article Awards

As principal investigator of the NIH ECHO Consortium PRO Core grant and former PROMIS Statistical Center lead, Dr. Cella secures substantial research funding while mentoring junior investigators. He chairs the NTM PRO Advisory Board and serves on the National Quality Forum's Person and Family Centered Care Committee, translating research into healthcare policy. His leadership extends to directing the Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes, which develops measurement tools implemented across Northwestern's clinical enterprise and national research networks including the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center where he serves as Associate Director for Cancer Prevention and Control.