Sabrina A. Gmuca, MD MSCE

Assistant Professor of Pediatrics (CHOP) and Epidemiology

Description of Clinical Expertise

I am a board certified in General Pediatrics and Pediatric Rheumatology.
I have trained expertise in the treatment and management of pediatric chronic, non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain, including amplified musuculoskeletal pain syndrome (AMPS), juvenile fibromyalgia syndrome and complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS). I serve as Director of the Center for Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome at CHOP. In addition, I routinely care for children and young adults with systemic lupus erythematosus, juvenile dermatomyositis, juvenile idiopathic arthritis and enthesitis.

Description of Research Expertise

I am Assistant Professor of Pediatrics and am a pediatric rheumatologist. I received my Master of Science in clinical epidemiology from the University of Pennsylvania. I am an attending physician and medical director of the Center for Amplified Musculoskeletal Pain Syndrome at CHOP and a core faculty member in both the PolicyLab and Center for Clinical Pediatric Effectiveness at CHOP. I seek to promote, conduct and disseminate research aimed at improving our understanding of the etiologic factors important in the development of chronic non-inflammatory musculoskeletal pain syndromes as well as advance the interdisciplinary treatment strategies to positively impact the lives of youth with chronic pain and their families.

Selected Publications

Gmuca S, Weiss PF, McGill M, Xiao R, Ward M, Nelson M, Sherry DD, Cronholm PF, Gerber JS, Palermo TM, Young JF, Rosenberg AR: The Feasibility and Acceptability of Resilience Coaching for Adolescent Chronic Musculoskeletal Pain: A Single-Arm Pilot Trial. Children 9(10): 1432, Sept 2022.

Sherry DD, Gmuca S, Christian CW: Recognizing medical child abuse in children presenting with chronic pain. Br J Pain 16(4): 433-438, Aug 2022.

Gmuca S, Sonagra M, Xiao R, Mendoza E, Miller KS, Thomas NH, Young JF, Weiss PF, Sherry DD, Gerber JS: Characterizing Neurocognitive Impairment in Juvenile Fibromyalgia Syndrome: Subjective and Objective Measures of Dyscognition. Frontiers in Pediatrics Feb 2022.

Sonagra M, Jones J, McGill M, Gmuca S.: Exploring the Intersection of Adverse Childhood Experiences, Pediatric Chronic Pain, and Rheumatic Disease. Pediatr Rheumatol Online J Feb 2022.

Waqar-Cowles LN, Chuo J, Weiss PF, Gmuca S, LaNoue M, Burnham JM: Evaluation of pediatric rheumatology telehealth satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. Pediatr Rheumatol Online J 19(170), December 2021.

Rutstein BH, Gmuca S, Gerber JS, Lim T, Argraves M, Ogdie A. : Validation of coding algorithms for the identification of herpes zoster among children. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf. May 2021.

Pianucci L, Sonagra M, Greenberg B, Priestley D, Gmuca S. : Disordered Eating Among Adolescents with Chronic Pain: The Experience of a Pediatric Rheumatology Subspecialty Pain Clinic. Pediatr Rheumatology Online J. Feb 2021.

Gmuca S, Sonagra M, Xiao R, Miller KS, Thomas NH, Young JF, Weiss PF, Sherry DD, Gerber JS. : Suicidal Risk and Resilience in Juvenile Fibromyalgia Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Cohort Study. Pediatr Rheumatology Online J. Jan 2021.

Rosenberg AR, Steiner J, Lau N, Fladeboe K, Toprak D, Gmuca S, O'Donnell M, Smith K, Brown C, Yi-Frazier JP. : From Theory to Patient Care: a model for the development, adaptation, and testing of psychosocial interventions for patients with serious illness (Special Report). J Pain Symptom Management. 2021.

Rutstein B, Gmuca S, Gerber JS, Ogdie A. : Validation of Healthcare Claims Algorithms for Identification of Herpes Zoster Among Children with Autoimmune/Autoinflammatory Disease. ACR Convergence November 2020.