Maria T. Caserta, MD, PhD, professor of psychiatry at the University of South Florida College of Medicine, was recently inducted to The American College of Psychiatrists. She joins a select group of only 651 physicians, from across the nation, who have achieved this prestigious credential. Membership in The American College of Psychiatrists is limited to practicing psychiatrists who have demonstrated outstanding competence in the field of psychiatry, and who have achieved national recognition in one of the following fields: clinical practice, research, academic leadership, teaching, and leadership in psychiatry.

Dr. Caserta joined the USF Department of Psychiatry in January 2008 in a variety of roles. In addition to being a Professor of Psychiatry, she is Chief of the Geriatric Psychiatry Program, Director of the Geriatric Psychiatry Education Training Program and Medical Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic. She is developing the Memory Disorders Clinic for USF Health, and in the process developing a regional and national model for care. She sees patients at the USF Health University Psychiatry Center located in North Tampa and is also a scholar in the Advanced Research Institute in Geriatric Mental Health.

“These are challenging, yet exciting times for our field of psychiatry and especially geriatric psychiatry,” said Dr. Caserta, who is Board Certified in both Psychiatry and Geriatric Psychiatry. Turning her attention to her recent arrival at the USF College of Medicine, she admits that working with Department Chair Dr. Frank Fernandez is one of the main reasons she came. “I am very happy to be in the Dept. of Psychiatry at USF at this time, with so many opportunities for research collaboration, training of medical students, residents and fellows, and the development of new programs for excellent diagnosis and treatment of older adults, across disciplines, departments and institutes. I look forward to working with the wonderful clinicians and researchers in the field at this institution.”

This award winning psychiatrist and past recipient of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) Career Development Award in Geriatric Mental Health, comes to USF from the University of Chicago where she was Associate Director of the Memory Disorders Clinic. At Northwestern University, she was the Education Core Director of its Alzheimer’s Disease Center.

Dr. Caserta’s research interests include imaging techniques in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease and imaging with subjects exhibiting mild cognitive impairment, which is considered a possible precursor of Alzheimer’s.

“It is truly an honor for the Department to share in Dr. Caserta’s great achievement and excitement at her induction into the nation’s most prestigious society committed to excellence in psychiatry,” said Dr. Fernandez. “We are especially pleased that she will be continuing her clinical, educational, and research efforts at USF collaborating with others in the care of our older population.”

The American College of Psychiatrists is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting the latest advances in the specialty, and supporting the highest standards in psychiatry.

Newsbrief by Lissette Campos, Photography by Klaus Herdocia
USF Health Communications