Stress Management And Resiliency Training (SMART)

M. Beatriz Currier, MD, serves as Medical Director of the Cancer Patient Support Center and Chief of Psychosocial Oncology at Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute/Baptist Health South Florida. The Cancer Patient Support Center addresses the needs of the whole patient during cancer treatment and into survivorship to improve the quality of life and health outcomes of cancer patients.  Dr. Currier attended medical school at the University of South Florida College Of Medicine. She served a residency in psychiatry at the University of Miami School of Medicine/Jackson Memorial Medical Center and a fellowship in Psychosomatic Medicine at Massachusetts General Hospital.  Her current research interests include investigating the impact of systemic inflammation associated with major depression on cancer outcome, and identifying risk factors associated with cancer-related cognitive impairment and effective strategies to mitigate this syndrome. Dr. Currier has published extensively and served as principal investigator on numerous clinical research trials to determine the efficacy and safety of antidepressant pharmacotherapy in medically ill patients.  Dr. Currier has been trained in and certified to offer the Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART)™ program of Harvard Medical School Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.

Aileen Moreno, LCSW is a licensed clinical social worker with extensive experience in oncology. Aileen has worked as a psychotherapist at Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute with adult cancer patients and survivors referred for short-term cognitive behavioral therapy or grief counseling. She has also worked as a Psychometrician at MCI with both adult and pediatric cancer patients and survivors referred for neuropsychological testing to assess for cancer-related cognitive impairment. Additionally, Aileen has provided mindfulness meditation training for MCI staff and patients receiving psycho-oncology care. She has previously worked as a medical social worker in the hospital setting and also worked for the National Cancer Institute’s Cancer Information Service. She holds a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and a Master’s degree in Social Work from Florida International University. Aileen has been trained in and certified to offer the Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART)™ program of Harvard Medical School Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.

Kristina Espinosa, Psy.D., PMH-C, is an accredited clinical psychologist at Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute and has been trained in and certified to offer the Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART)™ program of Harvard Medical School Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine. Dr. Espinosa specializes in providing evidence-based, integrative and individually tailored psychotherapy that focuses on the biological, social and psychological factors that influence health and wellness. She uses a combination of methods and tools from mindfulness-based psychotherapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, attachment theory and trauma-focused therapies. She completed her doctoral training at Nova Southeastern University, externships and internships at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, Nicklaus Children’s, and Broward Health Medical Center and her fellowship at Boston Children’s, Harvard Medical School. Dr. Espinosa has published on the associations of psychological distress on the mind and body with focus on advocacy and interventional initiatives. Dr. Espinosa helps patients find meaning through life’s most difficult transitions and hardships, including cancer, chronic illness, grief, pregnancy and infertility, trauma and relationship challenges. She is honored to walk alongside her patients in their cancer journeys and assist patients within a mind-body health approach to booster resiliency and quality of life.

Martha Kato, M.D., is a clinical psychiatrist at Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute. Dr. Kato specializes in consultation-liaison psychiatry. She is fluent in English and Spanish. Prior to joining Herbert Wertheim Cancer Institute in 2022, Dr. Kato was an associate professor of clinical psychiatry for ten years at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in Florida. Dr. Kato’s research has been published in numerous medical journals, including the Primary Care Companion to The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, Psychosomatics, Diabetic Medicine and Diabetes Care. She is a fellow of the American Psychiatric Association and the Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry. In 2008, she was the recipient of the 16th Annual Nancy C. A. Roeske, M.D., Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education. She was also selected by peers to be lists in Best Doctors in America multiple times. Dr. Kato’s approach to patient care is to use a combination of conventional and complementary therapies to help maximize her patients’ wellness and quality of life. A cancer diagnosis can affect the emotional health of her patients. Dr. Kato believes that providing emotional and mental support during treatment is a front-line tool in their battle against cancer. When she is not treating patients, she enjoys traveling and running. Dr. Kato has been trained in and certified to offer the Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART)™ program of Harvard Medical School Benson-Henry Institute for Mind Body Medicine.