Tamara E. Lacourt, Ph.D.
Department of Psychiatry, Division of Internal Medicine
Present Title & Affiliation
Primary Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Division of Internal Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Dual/Joint/Adjunct Appointment
Assistant Professor, Department of Symptom Research, Division of Internal Medicine, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, TX
Education & Training
Degree-Granting Education
| 2013 | Utrecht University, Utrecht, PHD, Biological Psychology |
| 2008 | Leiden University, Leiden, MS, Health Psychology |
| 2006 | Utrecht University, Utrecht, BS, Psychology |
Experience & Service
Institutional Committee Activities
Deputy Chair, Division of Internal Medicine Research Education Subcommittee, 2021 - Present
Member, Division of Internal Medicine Research Committee, 2019 - Present
Honors & Awards
| 2021 | Cyrus Scholar Award for Outstanding Clinical Research, UT MD Anderson Cancer Center - Division of Internal Medicine |
| 2017 | Trainee Scholar Award, Psychoneuroimmunology Research Society |
| 2017 | Young Investigator Award, Multinational Association for Supportive Care in Cancer |
| 2014 | Early Career Award, International Society of Behavioral Medicine |
Selected Publications
Peer-Reviewed Articles
- Lacourt TE, Koncz Z, Tullos EA, Tripathy D. A detailed description of the distress trajectory from pre- to post-treatment in breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Breast Cancer Res Treat. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 36383306.
- Lacourt TE, Kavelaars A, Tripathy D, Heijnen CJ. Associations between fatigue and cellular metabolism in breast cancer patients: a longitudinal study. Psychoneuroendocrinology 144, 2022. e-Pub 2022. PMID: 35853380.
- Chopra D, De La Garza R, Lacourt TE. Clinical relevance of a Body Image Scale cut point of 10 as an indicator of psychological distress in cancer patients: results from a psychiatric oncology clinic. Support Care Cancer 29(1):231-237, 2021. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32342222.
- Lacourt TE, Heijnen CJ, Manzullo EF, Escalante C. A Central Role for Apathy in the Effectiveness of Interventions for Cancer-Related Fatigue. Psychooncology 29(10):1-7, 2020. e-Pub 2020. PMID: 32658377.
- Lacourt TE, Vichaya EG, Escalante C, Manzullo EF, Gunn B, Hess KR, Heijnen CJ, Dantzer R. An effort expenditure perspective on cancer-related fatigue. Psychoneuroendocrinology 96:109-117, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29929087.
- Lacourt TE, Kavelaars A, Ohanian M, Shah ND, Shelburne SA, Futreal A, Kontoyiannis DP, Heijnen CJ. Patient-reported fatigue prior to treatment is prognostic of survival in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Oncotarget 9(58):31244-31252, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 30131851.
- Lacourt TE, Kavelaars A, Galloway-Peña JR, Sahasrabhojane PV, Shah ND, Futreal A, Kontoyiannis DP, Shelburne SA, Heijnen CJ. Associations of inflammation with symptom burden in patients with acute myeloid leukemia. Psychoneuroendocrinology 89:203-208, 2018. PMID: 29414033.
- Lacourt TE, Vichaya EG, Chiu GS, Dantzer R, Heijnen CJ. The High Costs of Low-Grade Inflammation: Persistent Fatigue as a Consequence of Reduced Cellular-Energy Availability and Non-adaptive Energy Expenditure. Front Behav Neurosci 12:78, 2018. e-Pub 2018. PMID: 29755330.
- Lasselin J, Treadway MT, Lacourt TE, Soop A, Olsson MJ, Karshikoff B, Paues-Göranson S, Axelsson J, Dantzer R, Lekander M. Lipopolysaccharide Alters Motivated Behavior in a Monetary Reward Task: a Randomized Trial. Neuropsychopharmacology 42(4):801-810, 2017. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27620550.
- Murdock KW, LeRoy AS, Lacourt TE, Duke DC, Heijnen CJ, Fagundes CP. Executive functioning and diabetes: The role of anxious arousal and inflammation. Psychoneuroendocrinology 71:102-9, 2016. e-Pub 2016. PMID: 27261922.
- Lacourt TE, Houtveen JH, Veldhuijzen van Zanten JJ, Bosch JA, Drayson MT, Van Doornen LJ. Negative affectivity predicts decreased pain tolerance during low-grade inflammation in healthy women. Brain Behav Immun 44:32-6, 2015. e-Pub 2014. PMID: 25451608.
- Lacourt TE, Houtveen JH, Doornen LJ, Benson S, Grigoleit JS, Cesko E, Elsenbruch S. Biological and psychological predictors of visceral pain sensitivity in healthy premenopausal women. Eur J Pain 18(4):567-74, 2014. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 24027228.
- Lacourt TE, Houtveen JH, Smeets HM, Lipovsky MM, van Doornen LJ. Infection load as a predisposing factor for somatoform disorders: evidence from a Dutch General Practice Registry. Psychosom Med 75(8):759-64, 2013. e-Pub 2013. PMID: 23960160.
- Lacourt T, Houtveen J, van Doornen L. "Functional somatic syndromes, one or many?" An answer by cluster analysis. J Psychosom Res 74(1):6-11, 2013. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 23272982.
- Lacourt TE, Houtveen JH, van Doornen LJP. Experimental pressure-pain assessments: Test-retest reliability, convergence and dimensionality. Scand J Pain 3(1):31-37, 2012. e-Pub 2012. PMID: 29913770.
Invited Articles
- Lacourt TE, Heijnen CJ. Mechanisms of Neurotoxic Symptoms as a Result of Breast Cancer and Its Treatment: Considerations on the Contribution of Stress, Inflammation, and Cellular Bioenergetics. Curr Breast Cancer Rep 9(2):70-81, 2017. e-Pub 2017. PMID: 28616125.
- Vichaya EG, Chiu GS, Krukowski K, Lacourt TE, Kavelaars A, Dantzer R, Heijnen CJ, Walker AK. Mechanisms of chemotherapy-induced behavioral toxicities. Front Neurosci 9:131, 2015. e-Pub 2015. PMID: 25954147.
Abstracts
- Benson S, Lacourt TE, Houtveen JH, van Doornen LJ, Grigoleit JS, Elsenbruch S. Can we predict visceral pain sensitivity? An experimental study in healthy women. Brain, Behavior, and Immunity 32:e45, 2013.
Letters to the Editor
- Chopra D, Lacourt TE. Depression is associated with higher body image concerns in cancer patients with either visible or non-visible tumors: Findings from a psychiatric oncology clinic. General Hospital Psychiatry 71: 130-131, 2021.
- Lacourt TE, De La Garza R, Dantzer R. Can cancer-related cognitive impairment be considered in isolation from other cancer-related symptoms?. Psychooncology 27: 2511-2512, 2018.
Grant & Contract Support
| Title: | Is psychoscial distress as a result of cancer diagnosis a predictor of inflammation and depressive symptoms during and after cancer therapy? |
| Funding Source: | Hackett Family Foundation |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Is fatigue during cancer survivorship a result of reduced cellular energy? Investigating mitochondrial functioning in relation to fatigue |
| Funding Source: | MDACC Cancer Survivorship Research Seed Money Grant |
| Role: | Co-Principal Investigator |
| Title: | Cancer-related fatigue and effort expenditure: not enough, too much, or both? |
| Funding Source: | Institutional Research Grant |
| Role: | Investigator |