WELCOME

The University of Miami CARES Lab is dedicated to serving the cancer community through research, community engagement, and psychosocial support. We are housed in the Miller School of Medicine Department of Public Health Sciences and the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center. 

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- Patricia I. Moreno, PhD

RECENT NEWS

In the News
First Lady Dr. Jill Biden visited the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center in October to meet with faculty, staff, and patient advocates and raise breast cancer awareness. Dr. Moreno highlighted initiatives regarding quality of life among individuals living with metastatic breast cancer and the importance of incorporating the patient’s voice in cancer care.
Read article
New Funding
The University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center has awarded our team $75,000 as part of their NCI/NIH K Immediate Grant Funding Program. This funding will allow us to significantly increase the sample size of the randomized controlled trial in Dr. Moreno's career development award (K01) from the National Cancer Institute.
Read more about K01
Recognition
Dr. Moreno has been chosen as a recipient of the 2022 Early-Stage Investigator Award from the Academy of Behavioral Medicine Research (ABMR), an organization founded in 1978 dedicated to the application of biobehavioral science in medicine.
Read article
In the News
Dr. Moreno served on a panel with First Lady Dr. Jill Biden on February 23rd in San Antonio, Texas to discuss how the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center is addressing quality of life in cancer care and her research to reduce disparities among Hispanic/Latinos.
Read article
Recognition
A poster presentation by Ashley Maras, "Cardiometabolic Comorbidities in Hispanic/Latino Cancer Survivors: Prevalence and Impact on Health-Related Quality of Life and Supportive Care Needs" was selected for the early-career rapid fire session at the Advancing the Science of Cancer in Latinos Conference in San Antonio, Texas. Congratulations, Ashley!
Learn about conference
In the News
Dr. Moreno was interviewed by Enrique Rodriguez from Univision in a feature about the importance of support from partners and family members among women coping with breast cancer. Research demonstrates that social support is protective and plays a crucial role in improving emotional wellbeing and quality of life. This feature is in Spanish. 
Watch Video
New Funding
Dr. Moreno was awarded a five-year career development award (K01) from the National Cancer Institute to improve early integration of palliative care among Hispanics/Latinos with metastatic cancer. The goal of this project is to increase access to high quality, guideline-concordant palliative care alongside cancer treatments (e.g., chemotherapy, radiation) in order to effectively manage symptoms and side-effects, enhance quality of life, and ensure patients live as well as possible following the diagnosis of stage IV cancer.
Read more about K01
New Funding
Dr. Marcia Tan was awarded a one-year research grant from the NCI-funded University of Chicago Interdisciplinary Cancer Health Disparities P20 SPORE to train community health workers to increase advance care planning among black women with breast cancer. Dr. Moreno is a co-investigator on this grant.
Read more about P20
New Position
Dr. Moreno is excited to announce that she transitioned to a new position at the University of Miami on March 1, 2021. She is Assistant Professor in the Department of Public Health Sciences at the Miller School of Medicine and Lead of Evidence-Based Survivorship Supportive Care in the Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Announcement
Breast Cancer Community Forum
Along with Claudia Tellez, MD (Northwestern University) and Rosalinda Alvarado, MD (Rush University Medical Center), Dr. Moreno will be a panelist at a community forum on breast cancer on Saturday, October 17. Presentations will focus on breast cancer treatments and surgeries along with the challenges and emotions faced by cancer survivors. This virtual presentation in Spanish is made possible thanks to the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center and the Latin Association for Assistance and Prevention of Breast Cancer (ALAS-WINGS).
Register Today
New Funding
Our team was awarded a second year of funding from the American Cancer Society (ACS) - Institutional Research Grant to conduct a three-arm randomized controlled trial to examine the effects of Cognitive Behavioral Stress Management (CBSM), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), and usual care on quality of life among women living with metastatic breast cancer. Dr. Frank Penedo at the University of Miami is co-principal investigator of this grant.
Learn more about ACS
New Funding
Drs. Elaine Cheung and Eve Feinberg were awarded a two-year research grant from the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) to characterize fertility concerns among women physicians in academic medicine and model the cost-effectiveness of oocyte vitrification ("egg freezing") for deferred reproduction. Dr. Moreno is a co-investigator on this grant.
Learn more about ASRM
New Funding
Dr. Ann Marie Flores and Dr. Moreno were awarded a Cancer Control and Survivorship Catalyst Pilot Grant from the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center (RHLCCC) to characterize health-related quality of life and assess unmet comprehensive care needs in head and neck cancer survivors treated at Northwestern Medicine. Dr. Bharat Mittal, Chair of the Department of Radiation Oncology, is co-investigator on this grant.
Learn about RHLCCC
New Funding
Dr. Moreno was awarded an American Cancer Society (ACS) - Institutional Research Grant pilot award through the Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center that aims to optimize quality of life in women living with metastatic breast cancer by examining the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of an Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) intervention tailored to meet the unique needs of this population. Dr. Frank Penedo at the University of Miami is co-principal investigator of this grant.
Learn more about ACS
In the News
Dr. Moreno was interviewed by Everyday Health about support groups specifically for women living with metastatic breast cancer. The article focuses on how these groups differ from other breast cancer support groups and factors patients may want to consider before joining.
Read article
New Funding
Dr. Moreno was awarded a diversity supplement (R01MD010440, MPIs Griffith & Paasche-Orlow) from the National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities (NIMHD) to conduct a comprehensive study of meaning and purpose in life in English- and Spanish-speaking primary care patients with varying levels of health literacy. Drs. James Griffith and David Cella are co-primary mentors on this project.
Read about the R01
Blog Post
Dr. Elaine Cheung and Dr. Moreno wrote a blog post regarding "Couples Coping with a Biopsy," a study funded by a two-year grant from the John Templeton Foundation - Pathways to Character Project that prospectively examines the effects of a new cancer diagnosis on both the patient and caregiver as well as their relationship as a couple.  
Read blog post
Increasing Representation
Dr. Moreno presented an overview of her career trajectory as a Latina woman in science and research examining health disparities among Latinos at UT Health San Antonio as part of the 2018 ¡Éxito! summer institute. Funded by the National Cancer Institute (R25CA134301), the ¡Éxito! Latino Cancer Research Leadership Training Program aims to increase the number of Latino master's-level students and health professionals who pursue and complete doctoral degrees in cancer control and survivorship research.
Read more about ¡Éxito!
Featured Research
A study conducted by our team and collaborators at UT Health San Antonio examining the relationship between satisfaction with cancer care and quality of life among Latino cancer survivors was featured on the Northwestern University Robert H. Lurie Comprehensive Cancer Center website.  
Read article
New Funding
Dr. Elaine Cheung and Dr. Moreno were awarded a two-year, $225,000 grant from the John Templeton Foundation - Pathways to Character Project to conduct a study that prospectively examines the effects of undergoing a diagnostic biopsy and receiving a new cancer diagnosis on couples.  
Read about the Project
International Collaboration
Dr. Frank Penedo and Dr. Moreno were awarded the Health & Behavior International Collaborative Grant from the American Psychosomatic Society (APS) to support our collaboration with Dr. Manuel Ortiz at the Universidad de La Frontera in Chile.
Learn more about APS