Research Interests

Professor Zeltzer is the director of the Pediatric Pain Program, Associate Director of the Patients and Survivors Program at

the UCLA Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center, and the medical director of Trinity KidsCare pediatric hospice.  Her program’s research focuses on pediatric chronic pain, end of life care in children, complementary and alternative therapies, and quality of life in survivors of childhood cancer.  She is completing a current study understanding the roles of anxiety, age, puberty, gender, and parents in the development of pediatric chronic pain.  There is a large data set now completed on 247 healthy children ages 8-17 who underwent 4 different laboratory pain tasks.  There are baseline child and parent measures, as well as lab-based self-report, behavioral, cardiovascular, and hormonal data.  There is a smaller set of follow-up lab data on a subset of this cohort as well as a cohort of children with chronic pain.  Further studies are planned related to testing the role of parents in children’s pain both in the lab and clinically.  Her lab is also conducting research in end of life care in children and in complementary and alternative therapies for chronic pain and fatigue (e.g. yoga, meditation, hypnotherapy, massage, acupuncture).  As part of her role in the UCLA Jonsson Cancer Center, she is also studying psychosocial and quality of life outcomes in survivors of childhood cancer.  As part of the core team of investigators on a large national study of these survivors and sibling controls, Zeltzer has been analyzing data on risk behaviors, pain, and quality of life outcomes and impact of disease and treatments.

Current Grants

Massage and Heat Therapies for Children at End of Life

NIH/National Cancer Institute Office of CAM, 1 R21CA098408-01A1
(PI: Cynthia Myers); Co-Investigator: L Zeltzer
This study examines the effectiveness of massage therapy as compared with the application of superficial heat as adjuncts in the control of pain intensity and pain related negative affect experienced by children, adolescents, and young adults with cancer in hospice care.

Home-based Massage and Relaxation for Sickle Cell Pain

NIH/National Center for CAM, 1 R21 AT01078-01
(PI: Cynthia Myers); Co-Principal Investigator: L Zeltzer
A feasibility study and a comparison trial of relaxation training and family administered massage.

Anxiety, Pain and Self-Efficacy in Children

NIMH/R01 MH63 779
(PI: Margaret Jacob); Co-Investigator: L Zeltzer
An interdisciplinary study, using oral histories, conversation analysis, and quantitative measure to understand the process of change in children undergoing biopsychosocial treatment at the clinic, and permits an exploration of its social impact in school and home.

Assessment of Symptoms in Children at End of Life and their parents

Glaser Pediatric Network
PI: L Zeltzer
To study symptom assessment in children during their end of life care, along with their parents.

Recurrent Abdominal Pain in Children

NIH, 1R01 NR05337-01A2
Subcontract: Baylor College of Medicine
(PI: Rob Shulman); Co-Investigator: L Zeltzer
To describe and compare bowel symptoms, function, autonomic reactivity, & psychosocial distress among children, ages 7-10 years, with and without recurrent abdominal pain.

Explaining Psychosocial/Behavioral Outcomes in Childhood Cancer Survivors

American Cancer Society (ROG-02-238-01 )
PI: L Zeltzer
To evaluate childhood cancer survivors from an ethnically diverse background.

Psychosocial, Behavioral and Pain Outcomes in Long-Term Survivors of Childhood Cancer

Lance Armstrong Foundation Grant, G 00-12-076-02
PI: L Zeltzer
Funding for statistical support for analyses of psychosocial data in Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

Puberty and gender differences in pain responsivity

National Institutes of Health 1 RO1 DE12751-01A1
PI: L. Zeltzer
To study the role of puberty in the developmental trajectory of gender differences in pain responsivity from childhood to adulthood.

Childhood Cancer Survivor Study

NIH, 1UH 01 CA55727-06
Subcontract: University of Minnesota (PI: Leslie Robison)
PI for UCLA Consortium Site and Member Steering Committee: L Zeltzer
To study the long term effects of childhood cancer and its associated therapies.

Recent Publications

Seitzman RL, Glover DA, Meadows AT, Mills JL, Nicholson HS, Robison LL, Byrne J, Zeltzer LK. Self-concept in adult survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia: a cooperative children’s cancer group and national institutes of health study. Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2004; 42 (3), 230-240.

Zebrack, BJ, Gurney, JG, Oeffinger, K, Whitton, J, Packer, RJ, Mertens, A, Turk, N, Castleberry, R, Dreyer, ZA, Robison, LL, Zeltzer, LK. Psychological outcomes in long-term survivors of childhood brain cancer: A report from the Childhood Cancer Survivor Study, J Clin Oncology, 2004; 22 (6), 999-1006.

Woolery A, Myers H, Sternlieb B, Zeltzer LK: A yoga intervention for young adults with elevated symptoms of depression, Alternative Therapies in Health & Medicine, 2004; 10, 60-63.

Byrne J, Fears TR, Mills JL, Zeltzer LK, Sklar C, Meadows AT, Reaman GH, Robison LL: Fertility of long-term male survivors of acute lymphoblastic leukemia diagnosed during childhood; Pediatric Blood and Cancer, 2004; 42, 364-372.

Tsao JCI, Myers CD, Craske MG, Bursch B, Kim SC, Zeltzer LK. Role of anticipatory anxiety and anxiety sensitivity in children’s and adolescents’ laboratory pain responses. J Pediatric Psychol, 2004; 29:379-388.

Mulrooney DA, Mertens AC, Neglia JP, Green DM, Zeltzer LK, Robison LL: Fatigue and sleep disturbance in survivors of childhood cancer: A report from the childhood cancer survivor study. Journal of Clinical Oncology (in press).

Byrne J, Fears TR, Mills JL, Zeltzer LK, Sklar C, Nicholson HS, Haupt R, Reaman GH, Meadows AT, Robison LL; Fertility in women treated with cranial radiotherapy for childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia; Medical & Pediatric Oncology, (in press).

Robison LL, Green DM, Hudson M, Meadows AT, Mertens AC, Packer RJ, Sklar CA, Strong LC, Yasui Y, Zeltzer LK. Long term outcomes of adult survivors of childhood cancer: Results from the childhood cancer survivor study. Cancer (in press).

Bursch B, Ingman K, Vitti L, Hyman P, & Zeltzer LK: Chronic pain in individuals with previously undiagnosed autistic spectrum disorders. J of Pain, (in press)

Bursch, B. & Zeltzer, LK. Chronic pain/somatic complaints and associated disability. In Osborn, L., DeWitt, T., & First, L. (Eds.) Comprehensive Pediatrics. Harcourt Health Sciences (in press).

Myers CD, Stuber ML, Zeltzer LK: Spirituality, complementary, and alternative medicine. In RT Brown (Ed.) Pediatric Hematology/Oncology: a Biopsychosocial Approach. Oxford University Press. (in press)

Myers CD, Bergman J, Zeltzer LK: Complementary and alternative medicine use in children with cancer. In S Kreitler, MB Arush (Eds.) Psychosocial Aspects of Pediatric Oncology. Wiley publishers, (in press).

Wolfe J, Tournay A, Zeltzer LK: Palliative care for children with advanced cancer; In S Kreitler, MB Arush (Eds.). Psychosocial Aspects of Pediatric Oncology. Wiley publishers, (in press).

Contact
Lonnie K. Zeltzer, M.D.
UCLA Department of Pediatrics
Pediatric Pain Program
David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA51752
Off-campus mail: 10833 Le Conte Avenue 22-464 MDCC Los Angeles, CA 90095-1752
On-campus mail: 22-464 MDCC Mail code: 175217
Tel: (310) 825-0731
Fax: (310) 794-2104
Website: http://www.healthcare.ucla.edu/pedspain/
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