Dr. Leora Celia Swartzman

powered by
COS Expertise®
University of Western Ontario
Social Science
Psychology
Associate ProfessorAppointed: 1993
University of Western Ontario
Schulich School of Medicine & Dentistry
Medicine
Clinical Pharmacology
Associate ProfessorAppointed: 2000
Professional Headshot of Leora Celia Swartzman

Mailing Address

Room 6426
Social Science Building
University of Western Ontario
London, Ontario N6A5C2
Canada

Contact Information

Phone: (519) 661-2111, ext. 84654
Fax: (519) 661-3961
lswartzm@uwo.ca

Qualifications

Professional Registration, Registered by the Ontario Board of Examiners, Psychology, 1989.
Ph.D., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Psychology, 1988.
M.Sc., Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey, Psychology, 1984.
B.A., McGill University, Psychology, 1980.
Degree of Collegial Studies, Vanier College, Social Sciences, 1977.

Expertise and Research Interests

The role of psychological factors (e.g., contextual cues, affect, personality traits) in the perception and reporting of physical symptoms. Questions have been applied to several clinical domains, including menopausal hot flushes, chronic pain, as wellas symptom reporting within the context of clinical drug trials.

The content and structure of illness cognitions, and how they drive health care use, adherence, and satisfaction with medical care. Current research is focused on better understanding the distinction people make between 'traditional/medical' and 'alternative' treatment approaches.


Future Research

In the near future, there are two sets of questions I'm interested in pursing. The first set pertains to the role that psychological processes (both dispositional and method-induced) play in influencing the outcomes of clinical trials, particularly thosethat include 'soft' (i.e., self-report) outcome measures. These questions should be of particular interest to the pharmaceutical industy. The second set of questions pertains to the role of illness cognitions in the self-regulation of chronic diseases (e.g., hypertension, diabetes).

Industrial Relevance

Relevance to the Pharmaceutical Industry:

Drug trial participants' reports of symptomatic improvement and side effects arguably might be influenced by their general dispositions and their pre-existing beliefs. Moreover, methodological variations within studies (such as how reports of adverse-effects are elicited, or variations in informed consent procedures) inadvertently could affect the extent to which reported improvement or side effect reports are driven by subjects' expectations. These non-pharmacological factors, if left uncontrolled (methodologically and/or statistically), could spuriously inflate effect sizes under some circumstances. Under other circumstances, failing to take these non-pharmacological factors into account can increase the error variance in a trial, thereby reducing effect sizes.

Keywords

COS Keywords:

Behavioral Medicine, Chronic Pain, Health Care, Health Psychology, Medical Decision Making, Menopause, Pain, Psychology, Psychophysiology, Psychosomatic Disorders, Stress, Women's Health.

Additional Terms:

Behavioral Medicine, Chronic Pain, Clinical Trials, Health Psychology, Illness Behavior, Illness Cognitions, Medical Decision Making, Menopause, Pain, Physical Symptom, Physical Symptom Reporting, Placebo Effects, Psychophysiology, Psychosomatic Medicine, Psychosomatics, Women's Health.

Languages

(Reading, Writing, Speaking)

French: (Functional, Basic, Functional)
Hebrew: (Basic, Basic, Functional)
Yiddish: (Basic, Basic, Basic)

Memberships

American Psychological Association
Canadian Psychological Association
International Society for Traumatic Stress Studies
Society of Behavioral Medicine

Previous Positions

1988-1993, Assistant Professor, University of Western Ontario, Social Science, Psychology
1987-1988, Lecturer, University of Western Ontario
1987-1987, Postdoctoral Fellow, Lafayette Clinic, Behavioral Medicine Laboratory
1985-1986, Psychology Intern, Rush University Medical Center

Funding Received

  • University of Western Ontario Academic Development Fund: How do people distinguish between conventional and complementary/alternative medicine (CAM): An examination within the context of rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, $33,157, May 1, 2001 to Apr 30, 2004.
  • The University of Western Ontario Academic Development Fund: What are the salient attributes of causes of chronic pain among chronic musculoskeletal pain patients, and what are the implications for their satisfaction with their primary medical care?, $6,927, Jan 1, 2000 to Dec 31, 2002.
  • Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR): How do people distinguish between conventional and complementary/alternative medicine (CAM): An examination within the context of rheumatoid arthritis and fibromyalgia, $164,263, Apr 1, 2001 to Mar 31, 2004.

Publications

  • Swartzman, L.C., Harshman, R.A., Burkell, J., & Lundy, M.E., What accounts for the appeal of complementary/alternative medicine and what makes complementary/alternative medicine 'alternative'?, Medical Decision Making, 22(4), 1-20, September 2002
  • Chen, X., & Swartzman, L.C., Cross-cultural models of illness, S. Kazarian, & D.E. Evans (Eds.) Handbook of Clinical Health Psychology; New York, NY: Academic Press, 63-84, 2001
  • Armstrong, T.L., & Swartzman, L.C., Health beliefs and experiences in Asian cultures, S. Kazarian, & D.E. Evans (Eds.) Handbook of Clinical Health Psychology, New York, NY: Academic Press, 34-53, 2001
  • Armstrong, T, Swartzman, L.C., Asian versus Western Differences in satisfaction with Western Medical care: The mediational effects of illness attributions, Psychology and Health, 14(3), 403-416, 1999
  • Swartzman L C, Burkell J, Expectations and the placebo effect in clinical drug trials: why we should not turn a blind eye to unblinding, and other cautionary notes., Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, 64(1), 1-7, July 1998 Abstract
  • Swartzman L C, Lees M C, Casual dimensions of college students' perceptions of physical symptoms., Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 19(2), 95-110, April 1996 Abstract
  • Swartzman L C, Teasell R W, Shapiro A P, McDermid A J, The effect of litigation status on adjustment to whiplash injury., Spine, 21(1), 53-8, 1 Jan 1996 Abstract
  • Swartzman L C, Gwadry F G, Shapiro A P, Teasell R W, The factor structure of the Coping Strategies Questionnaire., Pain, 57(3), 311-6, June 1994 Abstract
  • Swartzman L C, McDermid A J, The impact of contextual cues on the interpretation of and response to physical symptoms: a vignette approach., Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 16(2), 183-98, April 1993 Abstract
  • Swartzman L.C., Seligman C, and McClelland W.J, Detecting Gender Discrimination in University Salaries: A Case, Canadian Journal of Higher Education, 22, 1-13, 1992
  • Swartzman L C, Edelberg R, Kemmann E, The menopausal hot flush: symptom reports and concomitant physiological changes., Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 13(1), 15-30, February 1990 Abstract
  • Swartzman L C, Edelberg R, Kemmann E, Impact of stress on objectively recorded menopausal hot flushes and on flush report bias., Health Psychology, 9(5), 529-45, 1990 Abstract
  • Swartzman L.C., Edelberg R, and Kemmann E., The impact of Stress on Objectively Recorded Menopausal Hot Flushes and On Flush Report Bias, Health Psychology, 9, 529-545, 1990
  • Swartzman L.C., Edelberg R and Kemmann, The Menopausal Hot Flush Symptom Reports and Concomitant Physiological Changes, Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 13, 15-30, 1990
  • Swartzman L.C. and Leiblum S.R., Changing Perspectives on the Menopause. Journal of Psychosomatic Obstetrics and Gynecology, 6, 11-24, 1987
  • Leiblum S.R. and Swartzman L.C., Women's Attitudes Toward the Menopause: An Update. Maturitas, 8, 47-56, 1986

Profile Details

Last Updated: 1/16/2007

COS Expertise ID #919042
Reference this profile directly: http://myprofile.cos.com/swartzml11