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Christina Kelsey Zigler

Adjunct Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences
Population Health Sciences
DUMC Box 104023, Durham, NC 27708
215 Morris Street, Suite 210, Durham, NC 27708

Overview


Dr. Zigler is an independent investigator dedicated to improving the ways we measure patient-centered, meaningful health states, specializing in pediatrics, rare diseases, and clinical trials. She also is a methodological co-investigator who supports the application of novel statistical approaches and measurement strategies across a diverse array of studies.

Her methodological expertise includes established qualitative and quantitative techniques (i.e. concept elicitation, cognitive testing, classical test theory, item-response theory) alongside innovative methods (i.e. novel ways to identify meaningful change), to ensure the measures are ultimately centered in the patients’ meaningful experiences. Further, she works in a variety of populations and contexts, including pediatrics, where patient-reported outcome measures empower children to report directly on their own health status, and rare diseases, where a creative and pragmatic approach to measure development is necessary and patient-centeredness is essential.

Areas of Expertise: Health Measurement, Health Behavior, and Health Services Research

Current Appointments & Affiliations


Adjunct Associate Professor in Population Health Sciences · 2024 - Present Population Health Sciences, Basic Science Departments

Recent Publications


Validation of CXCL9 as a biomarker of morphoea disease state and severity through longitudinal analysis.

Journal Article Br J Dermatol · November 18, 2025 BACKGROUND: Morphoea disease state (active vs. inactive) is difficult to ascertain using clinical examination alone, but it is crucial to optimizing treatment. To date, no biomarkers indicative of disease state have been fully validated in morphoea. OBJECT ... Full text Link to item Cite

Development of the Angelman syndrome video assessment: quantifying meaningful change.

Journal Article J Neurodev Disord · November 3, 2025 BACKGROUND: The Angelman Syndrome Video Assessment (ASVA) is a clinician-reported outcome measure that was developed to assess the functional ability of individuals with Angelman Syndrome (AS) in a familiar environment. Through standardized tasks and assoc ... Full text Link to item Cite
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Recent Grants


Clinical Outcome Assessments for Acute Pain Therapeutics in Infants and your Children (COA APTIC)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Food and Drug Administration · 2019 - 2026

Collaboratory Resource Coordinating Center for Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain (PRISM) (U24)

ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2024

Facilitating international, multi-disciplinary collaboration in pediatric localized scleroderma research: International validation of outcome measures

ResearchPrincipal Investigator · Awarded by Childhood Arthritis & Rheumatology Research Alliance, Inc. · 2021 - 2024

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Education, Training & Certifications


University of Pittsburgh · 2017 Ph.D.
University of Miami · 2010 M.S.Ed.