Jeff A. Sloan, Ph.D.

The research of Jeff A. Sloan, Ph.D., focuses primarily on patient quality of life (QOL). The general philosophy of this research is to ensure that alongside the investigation of medical treatments intended to prolong life, it is important to incorporate the relative quality of life for the patient over the additional time gained.

Dr. Sloan's goal is to incorporate patient perspectives on their QOL into individualized clinical care.

Focus areas

• Incorporating QOL into clinical trials and clinical practice in an efficient, consistent and effective manner where appropriate
• Developing concise, sensitive and convenient QOL measures and methodologies
• Developing clinical trials targeted specifically at QOL endpoints
• Exploring the genetic basis for deficits in patient QOL
• Developing and testing systems for assessing and intervening with QOL-related patient-reported outcomes to improve the science of health care delivery

Through this research, Dr. Sloan has developed a particular interest in assessing how to determine when a patient's QOL has changed sufficiently so as to indicate a need for clinical intervention.

Significance to patient care

Modern medical practice is challenged to include the patient perspective amid a myriad of laboratory and clinical data. Dr. Sloan's work aims to improve patient care by incorporating simple measures of patient QOL into clinical practice.

Professional highlights

• Co-chaired an effort (www.qolpro.org) to define the clinical significance of QOL national assessments, 2002-2007
• Co-chaired the GeneQoL Consortium, an international cooperative research group exploring the genetic basis of QOL