Sarah R. Martin

Biography

Sarah R. Martin, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor in Residence in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care at the UCI School of Medicine and WOS Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychological Sciences. She is also one of the Principal Investigators in the UCI Center on Stress & Health, an Attending Psychologist at the UCI Health Center for Pain & Wellness, and has a Medical Staff appointment in the Emergency Department of Children's Hospital of Orange County.

Dr. Martin received her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University, completed a predoctoral clinical internship at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School, and a postdoctoral fellowship at UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine in the Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program.

Dr. Martin's research utilizes a biopsychosocial approach to identify behavioral, social, and healthcare system factors that influence pediatric pain outcomes. Her work spans both acute and chronic pain contexts – including pediatric emergency care, chronic pain conditions, and sickle cell disease – with an overarching goal to improve psychosocial outcomes and advance equitable pediatric pain care. She is a Principal Investigator of an NIH NICHD K23 career development award examining clinical, patient experience, and resource utilization outcome disparities surrounding invasive emergency department procedures in children. Her work has explored psychophysiological mechanisms of pain in sickle cell disease and chronic pain, including the effects of hypnosis on pain sensitivity, as well as the role of stigma and social support in adolescents with chronic illness.

Dr. Martin has published over 40 peer-reviewed articles in journals including The Journal of Pain, Journal of Pediatric Psychology, Academic Emergency Medicine, and Anesthesiology. She serves on the editorial boards of Pain Medicine, Children, and Children's Health Care, and has received multiple awards from the American Psychological Association's Society of Pediatric Psychology, including the Diane Willis Award for Outstanding Article in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology. Dr. Martin is a licensed clinical psychologist in California and uses evidence-based approaches (cognitive-behavioral therapy, ACT, mindfulness, hypnosis) to help youth with pain improve their quality of life.

Education

• Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology, Georgia State University, 2016
• M.A. in Clinical Psychology, Georgia State University, 2013
• M.A. in Applied Clinical Psychology, Columbia University Teachers College, 2004
• B.A. in Psychology, Cognitive Sciences, University of California, Irvine, 2003

Distinctions

• NIH/NICHD K23 Pain in children: clinical, patient experience, and resource utilization outcome disparities surrounding invasive emergency department procedures, 2022-2027
• NIH/NHLBI F32 A laboratory-based hypnosis intervention on psychophysiological markers of pain responsivity in adolescents with sickle cell disease, 2017-2020
• Nominee, UCLA Chancellor's Award for Postdoctoral Research, 2018
• Pain Special Interest Group Poster Award, American Psychological Association (APA), Division 54, Society of Pediatric Psychology, 2017
• Diversity Poster Award, APA, Division 54, Society of Pediatric Psychology, 2011, 2016
• 2013 Diane Willis Award for Outstanding Article in the Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 2014
• Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Strategic Training Initiative in Health Research, Pain in Child Health, International Trainee, 2011-2020
• Outstanding Graduate Student Research in Psychology, Georgia State University, 2014