David Cella

David Cella, PhD is the Chair of the Department of Medical Social Sciences; Director of the Institute for Public Health and Medicine (IPHAM), Center for Patient-Centered Outcomes; a Ralph Seal Paffenbarger Professor; and a Professor of Medical Social Sciences, at Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Evanston, Illinois, US.

ME/CFS Common Data Elements (CDE) Project

Dr Cella chairs the Fatigue Working Group and is a member of the Post-Exertional Malaise Working Group of the Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Common Data Element (CDE) Project sponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Notable studies

• 2017, Public Review - Draft of Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) Common Data Elements (CDE); Fatigue Subgroup Materials - (Full Text)

Online presence

• PubMed

Learn more

• Faculty bio page

See also

• ME/CFS Common Data Elements Working Group

myalgic encephalomyelitis (M.E.) - A disease often marked by neurological symptoms, but fatigue is sometimes a symptom as well. Some diagnostic criteria distinguish it from chronic fatigue syndrome, while other diagnostic criteria consider it to be a synonym for chronic fatigue syndrome. A defining characteristic of ME is post-exertional malaise (PEM), or post-exertional neuroimmune exhaustion (PENE), which is a notable exacerbation of symptoms brought on by small exertions. PEM can last for days or weeks. Symptoms can include cognitive impairments, muscle pain (myalgia), trouble remaining upright (orthostatic intolerance), sleep abnormalities, and gastro-intestinal impairments, among others. An estimated 25% of those suffering from ME are housebound or bedbound. The World Health Organization (WHO) classifies ME as a neurological disease.

National Institutes of Health (NIH) - A set of biomedical research institutes operated by the U.S. government, under the auspices of the Department of Health and Human Services.