Research Assistant Professor
Department of Medical Social Sciences and Surgery, Division of Organ Transplantation
Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine

Institute for Healthcare Studies
Northwestern University
750 North Lakeshore Drive
10th Floor
Chicago, IL 60611

Telephone 312-503-5519
Fax          312-503-2777

z-butt@northwestern.edu

My graduate training in clinical psychology reflected my strong interest in the assessment of the affective and cognitive sequelae of medical illness. Over the past several years, I have become increasingly interested in the development of psychometrically robust, patient-reported outcome (PRO) tools in the hopes that such assessment will lead to improvements in patient quality of life, clinical care and health care policy.

While I have experience in PRO research in neurological illness and cancer, I have been increasingly interested in the development and application of PROs in the post-surgical context, especially with respect to organ transplantation. Of note, I co-lead the Quality of Life workgroup of the Northwestern University Transplant Outcomes Research Collaborative (NUTORC) and have recently been selected to participate in the Northwestern University Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute (NUCATS) Multidisciplinary Clinical and Translational Scientist Scholars (KL2) Program.

Recent Publications

Butt, Z. & Cella, D. (2008). Relationship of hemoglobin, fatigue, and quality of life in anemic cancer patients. In Nowrousian, M. R. (Ed.) Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEPO) in clinical oncology: Scientific and clinical aspects of anemia in cancer (pp. 369-392). New York: Springer-Verlag.

Butt, Z., Wagner, L. I., Beaumont, J. L., Paice, J. A., Peterman, A. H., Shevrin, D., Von Roenn, J. H., Carro, G., Straus, J. L., Muir, J. C., & Cella, D. (2008). Use of a single-item screening tool to detect clinically significant fatigue, pain, distress, and anorexia in ambulatory cancer practice. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 35, 20-30.

Butt, Z., Wagner, L. I., Beaumont, J. L., Paice, J. A., Straus, J. L., Peterman, A. H., Carro, G., Von Roenn, J. H., Shevrin, D., & Cella, D. (2008). Longitudinal screening and management of fatigue, pain, and emotional distress associated with cancer therapy. Supportive Care in Cancer, 16, 151-159.

Butt, Z., Rosenbloom, S. K., Abernethy, A. P., Beaumont, J. L., Paul, D., Hampton, D., Jacobsen, P. B., Syrjala, K., Von Roenn, J. H., & Cella, D. (2008). Fatigue is the most important symptom for advanced cancer patients who have had chemotherapy. Journal of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, 6, 448-455.

Butt, Z. (2008). Sensitivity of the Informant Questionnaire on Cognitive Decline: An application of item response theory. Aging, Neuropsychology, and Cognition, 15, 642-655.

Lynch, E. B., Butt, Z., Heinemann, A., Victorson, D., Nowinski, C. J., Perez, L., & Cella, D. (2008). Stroke-related quality of life: Insight from focus groups with patients and caregivers. Journal of Rehabilitation Medicine, 40, 518-523.

Butt, Z., Yount, S. E., & Cella, D. (2008). Measuring patient symptoms and other aspects of health-related quality of life. In Lyman, G. H. & Crawford, J. (Eds.) Cancer supportive care: Advances in therapeutic strategies. (pp. 1-12). New York: Informa Healthcare.

Butt, Z., Yount, S. E., Caicedo, J. C., Abecassis, M. M. & Cella, D. (2008). Quality of life assessment in renal transplant: Review and future directions. Clinical Transplantation, 22, 292-303.

Rao, D., Butt, Z., Rosenbloom, S. K., Robinson, D., Von Roenn, J., Kuzel, T., & Cella, D. (2009). A comparison of the Renal Cell Carcinoma Symptom Index (RCC-SI) and the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy – Kidney Symptom Index (FKSI). Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 38, 291-298.

Lai, J.-S., Butt, Z., Wagner, L. I., Sweet, J. J., Beaumont, J. L., Vardy, J., Jacobsen, P., Jacobs, S., Shapiro, P., & Cella, D. (2009). Evaluating the dimensionality of perceived cognitive function. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management, 37, 982-995. 

Jay, C. L., Butt, Z., Ladner, D. P., Skaro, A. I., & Abecassis, M. M. (2009). A review of quality of life instruments used in liver transplantation. Journal of Hepatology 51, 949-959.