Grants per year
Personal profile
Research Interests
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.
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
Education/Academic qualification
Public Health, PhD, University of Illinois at Chicago
… → 2008
Public Health, MPH, University of Illinois at Chicago
… → 2002
Research interests keywords
- Disability
- Evaluation
- Nutritional and Metabolic Diseases
- Obesity
- Patient-Centered Care
- Patient-Reported Outcomes
- Rehabilitation/Therapy
- Spinal Cord Injury
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Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
Grants
- 1 Finished
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Clinical Learning Environment Review (CLER) program Evaluation Project
LaVela, S. L. (PD/PI)
Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education
11/1/14 → 11/30/15
Project: Research project
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A root cause analysis of community-acquired pressure injuries in persons with spinal cord injuries
Osteen, C. M., Smith, A., Bartle, B., Jacob, R. L., Weaver, F., LaVela, S. L. & Burkhart, E., Dec 2025, In: Spinal cord series and cases. 11, 1, 11.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Grocery Shopping and Eating Behaviors Differ Between Persons With and Without a Spinal Cord Injury
Donato, Z. J., Levy, A. S., Sneij, A., Lavela, S. L., Berg, A. S., Shapiro, L. T. & Farkas, G. J., Dec 1 2025, In: Topics in spinal cord injury rehabilitation. 31, 1, p. 66-76 11 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Health consequences associated with poor diet and nutrition in persons with spinal cord injuries and disorders
LaVela, S. L., Farkas, G. J., Berryman, K., Kale, I. O., Sneij, A., Felix, E. R. & Reyes, L., 2025, In: Disability and Rehabilitation. 47, 11, p. 2887-2898 12 p.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
1 Scopus citations -
Identifying Loneliness Cues in Persons With Spinal Cord Injuries and Disorders: A Qualitative Inquiry of Provider’s Perspectives
LaVela, S. L., Wirth, M., Aguina, K., Bombardier, C. H. & Motl, R. W., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Rehabilitation Psychology.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review
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Performance-based and patient-reported outcome measures for custom ankle-foot orthosis users: reliability, validity, and sensitivity evidence
Heinemann, A. W., Fatone, S., LaVela, S. L., Deutsch, A., Peterson, M., Slater, B. C. S., Kale, I. O., Soltys, N. T., McPherson, V. & McCombs, N., 2025, (Accepted/In press) In: Disability and Rehabilitation.Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review