In Our Care
Barbara L. Gandek
July 14, 1958 - March 4, 2020
Barbara Gandek
Expert in Healthcare Outcomes Measurement Science
Barbara Gandek, PhD, passed away on March 4, 2020 following a fierce battle with cancer. Dr. Gandek served most recently as Director of Research for the John Ware Research Group, an Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Medical School, and an instructor at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Gandek grew up in Seaford, Delaware, the daughter of Jean Davis Gandek and the late Andrew Gandek. She earned a BA in Economics from Swarthmore College, an MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and held a PhD in Clinical and Population Research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Following her graduation from the Harvard School of Public Health, she worked for ten years as a project director at The Health Institute at Tufts Medical Center, and for another decade as Scientist with Health Assessment Lab, and then as Senior Scientist and Director of International Research & Development with QualityMetric Incorporated.
An acknowledged expert in the field of healthcare outcomes measurement science, Dr. Gandek was extensively involved in the development, translation, and documentation of the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36®) Health Survey, a health-status questionnaire designed to be used in multinational clinical studies and other international studies of health. Her work with the SF-36® survey began in 1990 assisting early SF-36 adopters, and she co-authored the first SF-36 manual in 1993 along with six other SF user manuals over the next 15 years. She also worked extensively with researchers who were translating and validating the SF-36 through the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project. She was the author or co-author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, co-authoring papers with researchers from around the world.
Dr. Gandek was a long-time resident of Arlington, MA. She is survived by her mother, her sister Kathryn Gandek-Tighe and brother-in-law Michael Tighe of Arlington, along with three nephews. Arrangements are private.
Expert in Healthcare Outcomes Measurement Science
Barbara Gandek, PhD, passed away on March 4, 2020 following a fierce battle with cancer. Dr. Gandek served most recently as Director of Research for the John Ware Research Group, an Assistant Professor at University of Massachusetts Medical School, and an instructor at Tufts University School of Medicine.
Dr. Gandek grew up in Seaford, Delaware, the daughter of Jean Davis Gandek and the late Andrew Gandek. She earned a BA in Economics from Swarthmore College, an MS in Health Policy and Management from the Harvard School of Public Health, and held a PhD in Clinical and Population Research from the University of Massachusetts Medical School.
Following her graduation from the Harvard School of Public Health, she worked for ten years as a project director at The Health Institute at Tufts Medical Center, and for another decade as Scientist with Health Assessment Lab, and then as Senior Scientist and Director of International Research & Development with QualityMetric Incorporated.
An acknowledged expert in the field of healthcare outcomes measurement science, Dr. Gandek was extensively involved in the development, translation, and documentation of the 36-Item Short Form (SF-36®) Health Survey, a health-status questionnaire designed to be used in multinational clinical studies and other international studies of health. Her work with the SF-36® survey began in 1990 assisting early SF-36 adopters, and she co-authored the first SF-36 manual in 1993 along with six other SF user manuals over the next 15 years. She also worked extensively with researchers who were translating and validating the SF-36 through the International Quality of Life Assessment (IQOLA) Project. She was the author or co-author of more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, co-authoring papers with researchers from around the world.
Dr. Gandek was a long-time resident of Arlington, MA. She is survived by her mother, her sister Kathryn Gandek-Tighe and brother-in-law Michael Tighe of Arlington, along with three nephews. Arrangements are private.