A grant from TCRF, funded by the Cancer Free Generation, will support virtual reality research at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA) with the ultimately goal of advancing the study and application of virtual reality in pediatric medicine. This grant will help expand Dr. Gold’s research from a few areas of interest toward a clinical service line; ongoing research and evaluation; modification of hardware and virtual environments; collaboration with universities; industry and other hospitals.
Community Partner
Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA)
In pediatric facilities throughout the country, children undergo necessary yet painful and distressing procedures every day, but very few non-pharmaceutical interventions have been determined to successfully manage the pain and anxiety associated with these procedures. Dr. Jeffrey Gold, a clinical psychologist and director of CHLA’s Pediatric Pain Management Clinic, is examining the effectiveness of virtual reality for children and adolescents undergoing painful procedures such as blood draws.