Professor John Spertus’ research is recognized

John A. Spertus, Daniel Lauer/Missouri Endowed Chair and tenured professor at the University of Missouri–Kansas City School of Medicine, was honored Nov. 10 with the American Heart Association’s Quality of Care and Outcomes Research (QCOR) Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award.

The honor, presented at the Quality of Care and Outcomes Research Council Dinner at American Heart Association’s 2015 Scientific Sessions in Orlando, Fla., is awarded to researchers who have made extraordinary contributions to outcomes research and the improvement of cardiovascular care.

“Dr. Spertus has established himself as a trailblazer and renowned leader in the study of cardiovascular treatment and patient outcomes,” said School of Medicine Dean Steven Kanter. “This is awonderful, well-deserved honor. Dr. Spertus is a shining example of the outstanding leaders of medical research that we are privileged to have as members of our faculty at the School of Medicine.”

Spertus, clinical director of outcomes research at Saint Luke’s Mid America Heart Institute, has published more than 600 peer-reviewed articles, and also developed the Seattle Angina Questionnaire (SAQ) and the Kansas City Cardiomyopathy Questionnaire (KCCQ). These tools have been translated into more than 50 languages and are considered by many cardiology research experts to be the gold standards for measuring patients’ symptoms, function and quality of life in coronary artery disease and heart failure.

Spertus’ research focuses on methods for assessing patients’ health care results, measuring health care quality and using information technology to guide medical decision-making based on models that predict risk. The aim of the research is to help make treatment safer, more cost-effective, evidence-based and patient-centered.

In 2013, Spertus received the QCOR council’s Distinguished Achievement Award for his efforts in cardiovascular treatment and outcomes research.

Spertus has served on numerous national committees for American Heart Association, American College of Cardiology, American Medical Association, National Quality Forum, Medicare and UnitedHealthcare. He supports his research with non-school funding and employs more than 18 people. He founded the Cardiovascular Outcomes Research Consortium and CV Outcomes, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to advancing health care quality and outcomes research in cardiovascular disease, as well as Health Outcomes Sciences, a biotechnology start-up to support the implementation of evidence-based medicine.

A graduate of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine, Spertus completed his internal medicine, cardiology and health services training at the University of Washington.

The QCOR Outstanding Lifetime Achievement Award has recognized exceptional researchers every year since 2005.