James Sliwa, DO

About Me

Through his medical expertise and leadership, James Sliwa, DO, is focused on driving the highest level of performance for patient care, safety and outcomes.

Dr. Sliwa has been a practicing physician for Shirley Ryan AbilityLab since 1984. He specializes in a variety of areas, including cancer rehabilitation, treating neurological conditions such as Parkinson’s disease and multiple sclerosis, and caring for medically complex patients. As Chief Medical Officer and Chief Quality and Safety Officer, he is responsible for overseeing patient quality and safety throughout the Shirley Ryan AbilityLab system of care. Additionally, Dr. Sliwa is a Director of the American Board of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (PM&R) and a Professor in the Departments of PM&R and Medical Education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Dr. Sliwa has led development of the Ability Quotient (AQ), a new outcomes tool that is the most sensitive and predictive in the field of rehabilitation medicine. The AQ will allow providers not only to measure outcomes more accurately and consistently, but also to predict extent of recovery. In addition, it will allow all providers to compete on the same system of quality — with real, measurable, verifiable and quantitative results.

For more than 30 years, Dr. Sliwa served as the Program Director for residency training in the Department of PM&R at Northwestern. Today it is the leading medical residency program in PM&R.

Dr. Sliwa earned his BA in Biology and Religious Studies from Indiana University and his DO from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He completed his residency in Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation at Northwestern University/Shirley Ryan AbilityLab (then the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago).