Kimberly L. Klages, PhD
- Pediatric Psychologist, Division of Behavioral Medicine and Clinical Psychology
- Assistant Professor, UC Department of Pediatrics
About
Biography
I’m a pediatric psychologist and researcher. My work focuses on promoting health-related quality of life and symptom management in children with cancer. Children with cancer often struggle to cope with the side effects of cancer treatment, which often include pain and fatigue. I seek to develop evidence-based, nonpharmacological behavioral treatments for children with cancer-related pain and fatigue.
My passion for improving health-related quality of life in children with cancer began when I was in graduate school. I completed a clinical practicum where I worked with children and families affected by childhood cancer. In this setting, I observed many children struggle to cope with treatment side effects, including pain, which negatively impacted their mental and physical health during and after cancer treatment.
While strong evidence exists for interdisciplinary care models for treating chronic pain, limited nonpharmacological options exist for patients with comorbid cancer pain. Identifying this gap in care motivated me to pursue clinical research in pediatric oncology to meet the needs of patients with cancer-related pain.
My research goals are to advance our understanding of pain in children with cancer using innovative biopsychosocial assessment techniques and to develop empirically driven, novel and cost-effective interdisciplinary interventions to treat pain and improve health-related quality of life in children with cancer.
BS: Loyola University Chicago, Chicago, IL, 2011.
MS: The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 2016.
PhD: The University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, 2020.
Residency: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2020.
Fellowship: Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, 2022.
Interests
Pain; oncology
Services and Specialties
Interests
Pediatric oncology; pain; fatigue; health-related quality of life
Publications
Systematic Review of Pain Assessment Measures Used in Pediatric Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Psycho-Oncology: journal of the psychological, social and behavioral dimensions of cancer. 2025; 34:e70063.
Exploring the role of pain on physical activity among youth with acute lymphoblastic leukemia using the biopsychosocial model. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2024; 71:e31276.
Differential item functioning of the revised Multigroup Ethnic Identity Measure (MEIM-R) in racially and income diverse youth with type 1 diabetes. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2024; 49:791-801.
Social determinants of health predict health outcomes following pediatric allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2024; 71:e30892.
Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Medication Adherence Facilitators and Strategies: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2023; 48:415-424.
Systematic Evaluation of the Behavior Change Techniques and Quality of Commercially Available Cancer Self-Management Apps. JCO Oncology Practice. 2023; 19:e228-e237.
Recommendations for Providing Medication Adherence Support After Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: Caregivers' Lived Experience. Journal of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology Nursing. 2023; 40:5-16.
Examination of the Social Emotional Assets and Resilience Scales (SEARS) Youth Report: Factor Structure, Measurement Invariance, and Validity. Assessment. 2022; 29:1522-1531.
Pain, depressive symptoms, and health-related quality of life among survivors of pediatric hematopoietic stem cell transplant. Pediatric Blood and Cancer. 2022; 69:e29846.
Caregivers' Experience of Medication Adherence Barriers during Pediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant: A Qualitative Study. Journal of Pediatric Psychology. 2022; 47:685-695.
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