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Biography

Veronica Cardenas, PhD, is a bilingual licensed clinical psychologist. As part of Patient & Family Support Services at Moores Cancer Center, she provides psychological assessment, diagnosis or ongoing therapy for patient and families who are experiencing issues that are either related to the cancer experience or are interfering with cancer treatment.

Research Interests

Much of Dr. Cardenas’ research has focused on developing, testing, and implementing effective psychosocial treatments for under-represented community-dwelling adults and their families. These treatments focus on teaching strategies to care for one’s mental health to improve overall physical health. In this area, she has served as co-investigator for large research studies funded by the National Institute of Mental Health and the San Diego County. She has also authored or co-authored more than 25 peer-reviewed journal articles, book chapters and abstracts, and has served as a reviewer for a number of journals.

Dr. Cardenas has received numerous awards and national recognitions. Most recently she was awarded the UC San Diego Department of Psychiatry’s Diversity Champion Award in recognition of academic achievements related to diversity in the community via research, clinical activities, teaching, and community involvement.

More of Cardenas' interests

Clinical Focus

As an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Director for Training and Education for Patient & Family Support Services, Dr. Cardenas works with trainees, interns, and psychiatry residents. She has close to a decade of experience as an educator, including teaching, supervising, and mentoring in academic, counseling and medical settings.