Dr. Patricia Junquera is a geriatric and adult psychiatrist with more than 20 years of clinical experience. In addition to overseeing the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health, she provides clinical psychiatric services at the FIU/Baptist Health Faculty Practice on FIU’s main campus.
Junquera spearheaded the clinic’s use of new and alternate treatments for patients with treatment resistant depression (TRD) who have not responded to two or more prior trials of antidepressant medications. These include repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS), a non-invasive, FDA-cleared treatment for TRD using magnetic brain stimulation, and the soon-to-be offered Spravato, a fast-acting nasal spray used in addition to oral medications, also approved for patients suffering from depression with suicidal thoughts.
Before joining FIU, she served as medical director for the Detox Unit and senior psychiatrist in the Emergency Department at Jackson Behavioral Health, and later as medical director for behavioral health for Miami-Dade Correctional facilities.
Her academic credentials include serving as the founding program director for the Citrus Health Psychiatry Residency Program, and academic director of the Miami VA outpatient clinic. She was also part of the consult liaison team that developed the psychiatric rotation for the medical residency program at Mount Sinai Medical Center on Miami Beach.
Areas of Expertise
- Addiction Psychiatry
- Mood Disorders
- Women’s Mental Health
- Academic Psychiatry
- Eliminating the Stigma of Mental Illness
- Promoting Mental Health
Research Interests
- Focused ultrasound and blood-brain barrier opening in Alzheimer’s disease
- Neuromodulation approaches for Alzheimer’s and cognitive decline
- HIV-associated chronic pain mechanisms
- Peripheral magnetic stimulation for pain relief
- Default mode network changes in early cognitive impairment
- rTMS applications in depression
Current Grants
Project: Multicenter Phase 3 Study on the Safety and Efficacy of Exablate Low-Intensity Focused Ultrasound to Open the Blood-Brain Barrier in Alzheimer’s Disease
Role: Principal Investigator (FIU/Baptist Health): Patricia Junquera, M.D.; Co-PI: Michael McDermott, M.D.
Sponsor: Project No. 800015804
Period: 2021–2026 (Active 2022–present)
Objectives: To evaluate the safety and efficacy of Exablate low-intensity focused ultrasound for opening the blood-brain barrier in patients with Alzheimer’s disease.
Project: HIV-Pain Study on Endorphin Levels, Endothelial Dysfunction, and Opioid Peptide Regulation
Role: Principal Investigator: Saurabh Aggarwal, M.D., Ph.D.; Co-PI: Patricia Junquera, M.D.
Sponsor: National Institutes of Health (NIH)
Period: 2024–2029
Objectives: To determine whether decreased plasma endorphin levels contribute to HIV-associated chronic pain and whether individuals with HIV and chronic pain exhibit concurrent endothelial dysfunction and endogenous opioid dysregulation.
Project: Uncovering the Mechanism of Pain Relief Using Peripheral Magnetic Stimulation (PMS)
Role: Principal Investigator: Saurabh Aggarwal, M.D., Ph.D.; Co-PIs: Patricia Junquera, M.D., and Eduardo Icaza, M.D.
Sponsor: HWCOM/Baptist Health (Pilot Grant)
Total Funding: $75,000
Objectives: To investigate the mechanism of pain relief produced by peripheral magnetic stimulation.
Project: Linking Subjective Cognitive Impairment to the Default Mode Network: Implications for Dementia Development
Role: Principal Investigator: Patricia Junquera, M.D.; Co-PI: Gediminas Gliebus, Ph.D.
Sponsor: FIU/Baptist Health (Pilot Grant)
Total Funding: $35,000
Objectives: To explore how patients’ subjective cognitive complaints relate to the default mode network and to identify markers associated with the early development of dementia.
Project: Using Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) for Depression
Role: Principal Investigator: M. Adjouadi; Co-PIs: Patricia Junquera, M.D.; L. Carcache; M. Cabrerizo; N. Rojas; D. Castellanos
Sponsor: National Science Foundation
Period: 2021–present
Total Funding: Award No. 800011212
Objectives: To evaluate the therapeutic impact and mechanisms of rTMS in the treatment of depression.
See research publications and more on FIU Discovery.
Honors & Awards
- Educator of the Year, Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Health, FIU, 2021-22
- Top Psychiatrist, Latino’s Who’s Who, 2019
- Junior Teaching Award, University of Miami, 2012
- Woman Extraordinaire, Business Leader, 2011
- Junior Teaching Award, University of Miami, 2010
- Special Care Award, Veterans Administration, 2009
- Senior Teaching Award, University of Miami, 2009
Committees & Professional Organizations
- Delegate, Florida Medical Association
- Member, Leadership Committee Herbert Wertheim Lectureship Series Committee
Education
- Fellowship, Geriatric Psychiatry, University of Miami/ Jackson Memorial Hospital and Affiliated Hospitals, Miami, FL 2008
- Residency Psychiatry, Psychiatry, University of Miami /Jackson Memorial Hospital and Affiliated Hospitals, Miami, FL 2007
- M.D., Universidad Autonoma de Ciencias Médicas de Centro America, San José, Costa Rica 1997
- BHS, Universidad Autonoma de Ciencias Médicas de Centro America, San José, Costa Rica 1995
Board Certifications
- Diplomate of the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology