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 ResearchCurrent Appointments & Affiliations
Recent Publications
The spectrum of communication abilities in children with 12 rare neurodevelopmental disorders: a qualitative study with caregivers.
Journal Article Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, and allied disciplines · October 2025 BackgroundOur aim was to update an existing model of communication ability for children with rare neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) by centring caregiver and family perspectives. This project is part of a larger initiative to improve the measure ... Full text CiteMeasuring Childhood Disability Using the National Health Interview Survey
Journal Article JAMA Pediatrics · September 2, 2025 This survey study examines the prevalence of different strategies for identifying children with disabilities, using questions from the National Health Interview Survey. ... Full text CiteFamily caregiver observations of pain behaviors in infants and young children less than 3 years of age.
Journal Article J Pain · August 2025 Pain in very young, preverbal children is often inadequately assessed and thus poorly treated, leading to short- and long-term negative consequences. Family caregivers are often the primary observers of young children's pain, but their perspectives are oft ... Full text Link to item CiteRecent Grants
Clinical Outcome Assessments for Acute Pain Therapeutics in Infants and your Children (COA APTIC)
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by Food and Drug Administration · 2019 - 2026Collaboratory Resource Coordinating Center for Pragmatic and Implementation Studies for the Management of Pain (PRISM) (U24)
ResearchCo Investigator · Awarded by National Institutes of Health · 2019 - 2024Facilitating 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 - 2024View All Grants