Faculty & Staff

Carol Estwing Ferrans, PhD, RN, FAAN

Professor and Associate Dean for Research
Department of Biobehavioral Health Science

NURS 724
UIC College of Nursing (MC 802)
845 South Damen Avenue
Chicago, IL 60612-7350

Phone: 312.996.8445
Email: cferrans@uic.edu

Research / Discovery
Carol Estwing Ferrans, PhD, RN, FAAN, is the Deputy Director of the Center for Population Health and Health Disparities at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Professor in the UIC College of Nursing. She is also the College of Nursing's Associate Dean for Research. Dr. Ferrans has been conducting studies focusing on quality of life and minority issues in health care over the past 20 years, funded by the National Cancer Institute and the National Institute for Nursing Research. She is well known for developing the Ferrans and Powers Quality of Life Index, which has been translated into 21 languages and has been used throughout the world in more than 200 published studies. In addition, she has contributed to the conceptual development of the field of quality of life research, through her conceptual work focused on clarification of the construct. Dr. Ferrans has received a number of awards for her work, and has been recognized as a Distinguished Research Fellow by the International Society for Quality of Life Studies (ISQOLS).

Dr. Ferrans maintains an active program of research, studying the effects of illness and treatment on quality of life in cancer, cardiac disease, and other chronic illnesses. An important part of this research has focused on cross-cultural issues, including approaches to increase validity of data and participation in research for minority populations in the U.S. This has included the development of culturally specific measures for African-Americans and Hispanic Americans. Dr. Ferrans currently is the principal investigator for two large (R01) studies funded by NCI. One study examines cancer survivorship issues for African-Americans, focusing on the impact on quality of life and barriers to cancer screening. The second study focuses on breast cancer delay in Black, Hispanic and White women. In addition, she is the mentor for NIH- and ACS-funded postdoctoral and career-development awards, studying the effect of trust and cancer screening in African-American women, prostate cancer screening in African-American men, and the effect of trust in health care decision making in African-American caregivers of older adults.

Teaching / Learning
Dr. Ferrans teaches primarily in the doctoral program at UIC. She teaches a course in philosophy of science for doctoral students, which addresses epistemology and scientific explanation. She also teaches a course addressing quality-of-life issues in research and clinical practice. In addition, she mentors students and faculty members in the development of their research careers and has received awards for this work.

Service / Practice
Dr. Ferrans is an active member of the Quality of Life Committee of the Cancer and Leukemia Group B (CALGB), which is a national cancer research organization conducting clinical trials. She also serves on the Quality of Life Science Advisory Committee for the American Cancer Society.

Curriculum Vitae
Click here for PDF (4/07)

Quality of Life Index
www.uic.edu/orgs/qli

Current Research Projects:

• Quality of Life of African American Cancer Survivors
• Breast Cancer Delay in Black, Hispanic, and White Women
• Reducing Disparities in Underserved Populations (co-I)
• Psychometric Testing of a Measure of Family Functioning (co-I)
• Interactive Cancer Screening Education for South Asians (co-I)
• Cognitive Testing of the Computerized PAINReportIt Program in Adult African-Americans, Hispanic Americans, and European Americans (co-I)
• GO EARLY: Promoting Mammography Use Among Korean American Women (co-I)
• Breast Cancer Delay in Black, Hispanic, and White Women (PI)
• Advanced Care Treatment Plans (ACT-Plan) for African American Family Caregivers (co-I)