Sherri L LaVela

Sherri L. LaVela, PhD, MPH, MBA is a Senior Research Health Scientist at the Department of Veterans, Health Services Research and Development and Spinal Cord Injury Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (SCI QUERI). Dr. LaVela is a Research Assistant Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University. She has conducted research across several fields and believes that the most desirable (and sustainable) outcomes are accomplished through research and interventions across multiple levels (patient/person, informal caregiver/family, health care provider/staff, facility/organization, and community) and multiple disciplines. Dr. LaVela’s research spans several areas, including: rehabilitation, disability studies, health promotion/disease prevention, chronic disease prevalence and multiple-morbidity in persons with disabilities, gerontology/aging, aging with a disability, patient-reported outcomes, functional health outcomes, health disparities, and informal caregiving/family support. Much of her research has focused on patient (person)-centered care and equitable health care for special populations, including individuals with neurological disorders, physical disabilities (e.g., multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injuries and disorders, traumatic brain injury), veterans, and older adults. She is also interested in the study of psychosocial concepts such as resilience, as well as the role of the environment, and patient-provider communication in meeting overall well-being and functional needs in persons with disabilities. Dr. LaVela has expertise in program evaluation, implementation science, and statistics/use of mixed methodology for research. She has authored over 80 publications in peer-reviewed journals and presented numerous papers at disability, medical, health care delivery, and research conferences.