Assistant Professor, Anesthesiology
School of Medicine

pediatric pain, pediatric psychology, healthcare disparities, emergency medicine

UCI Center on Stress & Health

Sarah R. Martin, PhD is an Assistant Professor and Attending Psychologist in the Department of Anesthesiology & Perioperative Care, Principal Investigator within the UCI Center on Stress & Health, and is on medical staff as a research collaborator in the Department of Emergency Medicine at Children’s Hospital of Orange County. Dr. Martin received her PhD in Clinical Psychology from Georgia State University. She completed her clinical internship at Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School and postdoctoral fellowship in the Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care Program at UCLA. Dr. Martin’s research utilizes a biopsychosocial approach to identify behavioral, psychophysiological, social-cultural, and healthcare system factors that improve clinical outcomes and reduce pain management disparities associated with pediatric medical procedures, chronic pain, and sickle cell disease-related pain. Within the UCI Center on Stress & Health, she is conducting an NIH-funded study on pain, distress, and quality of care disparities surrounding pediatric emergency care. Clinically, as an Attending Psychologist in the UCI Center for Pain and Wellness, Dr. Martin provides cognitive-behavioral treatment for youth with pain conditions.

Martin, S. R., Bauer, K., Heyming, T. W., Zhu, J., Lee, H., Kain, Z. N. (2025). Incidence and Predictors of Nonresponse to Intranasal Midazolam in Children Undergoing Laceration Repair. Academic Emergency Medicine. doi: 10.1111/acem.15106

Martin, S. R., Heyming T. W., Fortier M. A., Salas, L. H., Huszti, H. C., Dennis, M. L., Kain, Z. N. (2025). Depression in Children with Abdominal Pain in the Emergency Department. Pediatric Research. doi: 10.1038/s41390-025-03871-y

Martin, S. R., Heyming T. W., Fortier M. A., Kain, Z. N. (2024). Psychosocial Dimensions of Pain Disparities in Youth Diagnosed with Unspecified Abdominal Pain in an Emergency Department. The Journal of Pain. 104729. doi: 10.1016/j.jpain.2024.104729

Martin, S. R., Heyming, T. W., Fortier, M. A., & Kain, Z. N. (2024). Paediatric laceration repair in the emergency department: Post-discharge pain and maladaptive behavioural changes. Emergency Medicine Journal, 41(8), 469–474. https://doi.org/10.1136/emermed-2023-213858

Martin, S. R., & Kain, Z. N. (2024). The intersection of pediatric anesthesiology and social determinants of health. Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, 37(3), 271. https://doi.org/10.1097/ACO.0000000000001367

Martin, S. R., Heyming T. W., Valdez, B. J., Salas, L., Cohen, L. L., Fortier M. A., Lee, K., Kaplan, S., Kain, Z. N. (2024). Observational Behavioral Coding in the Pediatric Emergency Department: Development of the Emergency Department Child Behavior Coding System (ED-CBCS). Journal of Emergency Medicine, 67(1), e50–e59. doi.org/10.1016/j.jemermed.2024.01.019

Martin, S. R., Hung, I., Heyming T. W., Fortier M. A., Kain, Z. N. (2023). Predictors of Parental Anxiety in a Paediatric Emergency Department. Emergency Medicine Journal, 40, 715-720. doi: 10.1136/emermed-2022-212917

Martin, S. R., Heyming T. W., Morphew, T., Sayrs, L., Fortier M. A., Sanger, T., Kain, Z. N. (2023). Impact of COVID-19 pandemic on burnout in pediatric healthcare workers: A longitudinal study. Pediatric Research. doi: 10.1038/s41390-023-02674-3.

Martin, S. R., Heyming T. W., Kain, A., Krauss, B., Campos, B. (2023). Eliminating Pain Disparities for Children in the Emergency Department. Academic Emergency Medicine, 30(10), 1075-1077. doi:10.1111/acem.14723

Heyming, T. W., Knudsen-Robbins, C., Davis, K., Moreno, T., Martin, S. R., Shelton, S. S., Ehwerhemuepha, L., Kain, Z. N. (2023). Caregiver Satisfaction with Emergency Department Care for Pediatric Patients with Neurodevelopmental Disorders. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001193

Ugarte D B, Hanley A, Dusek J A, Martin, S. R., Cumberland, W., Young, S. (2023) Feasibility and Acceptability of Online Recruitment and an Online Brief Mindfulness Intervention Among Patients With Sickle Cell Disease. Cureus 15(2), e35073. doi:10.7759/cureus.35073

Martin, S. R., Heyming T. W., Fortier M. A., Jenkins, B., Ahn, K., Cappon, J. P. Kain, Z. N. (2022). Do Pediatrician Interpersonal and Personality Characteristics affect Patient Experience?. Academic Pediatrics. doi: 10.1016/j. acap.2022.06.010

Mulchan, S. S., Wakefield, E. O., Martin, S. R., Ayr-Volta, L., Krenicki, K., Zempsky, W. T. (2022). Navigating ethical challenges for pediatric sickle cell pain management in the context of the opioid epidemic. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 38(2), 88–94.

Heyming T. W., Fortier M. A., Martin S. R., Kain Z. N. (2021). Predictors for COVID-19 Related New Onset Maladaptive Behaviors in Children Presenting to a Pediatric Emergency Department. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health, 57, 1634-1639. doi: 10.1111/jpc.15579

Martin, S. R., Payal, S., Denton, C., Zeltzer, L. K., Veluswamy, S., Khoo, M., Coates, T. (2020). Autonomically-mediated decrease in microvascular blood flow due to mental stress and pain in sickle cell disease: A target for neuromodulatory interventions. Complementary Therapies in Medicine, 49. doi:10.1016/j.ctim.2020.102334

Martin, S. R., Zeltzer, L. K., Seidman, L., Allyn, K. A., Payne, L. A. (2020). Caregiver-child discrepancies in reports of child emotional symptoms in pediatric chronic pain. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 45(4), 359-369. doi:10.1093/jpepsy/jsz098

Seegan, P. L., Martin, S. R., Boergers, J., Kopel, S. J., Bruzzese, J. M., & Koinis-Mitchell, D. (2020). Internalizing symptoms and sleep outcomes in urban children with and without asthma. Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, 16(2), 207-217. doi:10.5664/jcsm.8168

Donovan, E., Martin, S. R., Seidman, L. C., Zeltzer, L. K., Cousineau, T. M., Payne, L. A., Knoll, M., Weiman, M., & Federman, N. C. (2019). Development and pilot testing of a mobile-based mindfulness and social support program for adolescents and young adults with sarcoma. JMIR mHealth and uHealth. 7(3), e10921. doi: 10.2196/10921

Martin, S. R., & Zeltzer, L.K. (2018). Prioritizing Pediatric Chronic Pain and Comprehensive Pain Treatment in the Context of the Opioid Epidemic [Editorial]. Pain Management, 8(2), 67-70.

Martin, S. R., Cohen, L. L., Mougianis, I., Griffin, A., Sil, S., & Dampier, C. (2018). Stigma and pain in adolescents hospitalized for sickle cell vasoocclusive pain episodes. The Clinical Journal of Pain, 34(5), 438-444. doi: 10.1097/AJP.0000000000000553

Bhatt, R. R., Martin, S. R., Evans, S., Lung, K., Coates, T. D., Zeltzer, L. K., & Tsao, J. C. (2017). The effect of hypnosis on pain and peripheral blood flow in sickle-cell disease: A pilot study. Journal of Pain Research, 10, 1635-1644. doi: 10.2147/JPR.S131859

Martin, S. R., Boergers, J., Kopel, S. J., McQuaid, E. L., Seifer, R., LeBoourgeois, M., Klein, R. B., Esteban, C. A., Fritz, G., & Koinis-Mitchell, D. (2017). Sleep hygiene and sleep outcomes in a sample of urban children with and without asthma. Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 42(8), 825-836. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsx052

Martin, S. R. & Cohen, L.L., Welkom, J., Feinstein, A., Masuda, A., & Griffin, A. (2016). Gender differences in the relation between functioning and values-based living in youth with sickle cell disease. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology, 4(1), 11-22. doi: 10.1037/cpp0000127

Martin, S. R., Chorney, J.M., Cohen, L. L., & Kain, Z. N. (2013). Sequential analysis of mothers’ and fathers’ reassurance and children’s postoperative distress. Journal of Pediatric Psychology,38(10), 1121-1129. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jst061

Chorney, J. M., Tan, E. T., Martin, S. R., Fortier, M. F., & Kain, Z. N. (2011). Children's behavior in the postanesthesia care unit: The development of the Child Behavior Coding System-PACU (CBCS-P) Journal of Pediatric Psychology, 37(3), 338-347. doi: 10.1093/jpepsy/jsr101

Fortier, M., Martin, S., Kain, D. I., & Kain, Z. (2011). Parental attitudes regarding analgesic use for children: Differences in ethnicity and language. Journal of Pediatric Surgery, 46(11), 2140-2145.

Martin, S., Chorney, J. M., Tan, E.T., Fortier, M., Blount, R. L., Wald, S., Shapiro, N., Strom, S., Patel, S., & Kain, Z.N. (2011). Changing healthcare providers' behavior during pediatric inductions with an empirically-based intervention. Anesthesiology, 115, 18-27.

Martin, S., Fortier, M., Kain, D., Huszti, H., Tan, E. T. & Wahi, A. (2011). Desire for perioperative information and parental ethnicity. Pediatric Anesthesia, 21(10), 1046-1051.

Fortier, M., Martin, S., Chorney, J.M., Mayes, L., Kudrick, N., & Kain, Z. (2011). Preoperative anxiety in adolescents undergoing surgery: A pilot study. Pediatric Anesthesia, 21, 969-973.

Fortier, M. A., MacLaren, J., Martin, S. Perret-Karimi, D., & Kain, Z. N. (2009). Pediatric pain following ambulatory surgery: Where's the medication? Pediatrics, 124 (4), e588–e595. doi:10.1542/peds.2008-3529

2022 – 2027, Principal Investigator, NIH/NICHD K23 Patient-Oriented Research Career Development Award, Pain in children: clinical, patient experience, and resource utilization outcome disparities surrounding invasive emergency department procedures

2017 – 2020, Principal Investigator, NIH/NHLBI F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award, A laboratory-based hypnosis intervention on psychophysiological markers of pain responsivity in adolescents with sickle cell disease

Pediatric Psychology Resident
Brown University Warren Alpert Medical School 2015—2016

Postdoctoral Fellow
UCLA David Geffen School of Medicine, Pediatric Pain and Palliative Care 2016—2020

UCI Center on Stress & Health

Link to this profile
https://faculty.uci.edu/profile/?facultyId=7071

Last updated
04/02/2025