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Theresa Marie Coles

Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences
DUMC 104023, Durham, NC 27701
215 Morris Street, Suite 210, Durham, NC 27701

Overview


Theresa Coles, Ph.D., is a health outcomes methodologist with a focus on measuring and evaluating patient-reported outcomes (PROs) and other clinical outcomes assessments (COAs), integrating PRO measures in clinical care, and improving interpretation of patient-centered outcome scores for use in healthcare delivery and clinical research settings to inform decision making.

My research program is comprised of 3 pillars:

  1. Enhance the assessment of physical function and related concepts to inform decision-making
  2. Improve interpretability of PRO scores
  3. Design and implement screeners to improve patient-centered care by measuring what matters

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2024 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments

In the News


Published August 10, 2023
Evaluating physical functioning using patient-reported outcome measures: how does the question form and recall period influence patients’ interpretation?
Published March 26, 2021
Centering Patients and Expanding Access in the Opioid Epidemic

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Recent Publications


Recalling what we thought we knew about recall periods: a qualitative descriptive study of how adults diagnosed with cancer use recall periods for patient-reported outcome items about physical function.

Journal Article Qual Life Res · December 4, 2024 OBJECTIVES: In cancer studies, assessment of patients' physical function can provide insight into cancer-related symptoms and the side effects of treatment. Physical function can be assessed using patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs), which may or may ... Full text Link to item Cite

How do patients interpret and respond to a novel patient-reported eastern cooperative oncology group performance status (ECOG)?

Journal Article Qual Life Res · September 2024 PURPOSE: Performance status is an important concept in oncology, but is typically clinician-reported. Efforts are underway to include patient-reported measures in cancer care, which may improve patient symptoms, quality of life and overall survival. The pu ... Full text Open Access Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


FDA - BAA Clinical Evidence on the impact of osseointegrated limb prostheses

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Food and Drug Administration · 2023 - 2026

A Clinical Trial Readiness Study of Patient Reported Outcome Measures in Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Purpura (TTP)

ResearchCo-Principal Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2024 - 2026

Evaluation of Unilateral vs Bilateral Hearing Aids for the Treatment of Age-related Hearing Loss

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Institute · 2021 - 2026

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