Rev. Lisa R. Fortuna, MD

I am a Latina bicultural, bilingual psychiatrist triple board certified in general psychiatry, child and adolescent psychiatry and addiction medicine. I am the medical director for child and adolescent psychiatry services for the Boston Medical Center, and faculty at Boston University Medical School. I am also an Episcopal Priest serving as pastor in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts, working with Latino congregations and youth groups.

My clinical career has focused on treating a range of childhood psychiatric disorders with a particular focus on Post-traumatic Stress Disorder, Hispanic and adolescent mental health services, access to care and quality of treatment for underserved and vulnerable populations including children, immigrant and refugee populations. These areas of clinical practice and research are my passion and have resulted in my engagement in many rewarding projects which include: being a cofounder of a refugee immigrant mental health clinic in Boston, being an investigator in national and international studies of immigrant mental health and addictions which have contributed to the field’s understanding of treatment needs and interventions for these populations.

I have published in peer reviewed journals on the topics of Latino mental health, PTSD, improving access to mental health services by Latinos and other U.S. underserved minorities. I have also worked on developing mental health interventions and services for unaccompanied refugee minors from Latin America and in promoting integrated mental health interventions in pediatric primary care.

My book “Mindfulness-Based CBT for Adolescent PTSD and Addictions” was published by New Harbinger Press in October 2015 and is a product of a five-year National Institute of Drug Abuse research grant during which I developed and tested an effective intervention for adolescents with co-occurring traumatic stress and addictions.

Personally, I have been most influenced by a courageous mother and a loving Puerto Rican grandmother. I have a wonderful spouse, son Alex and a pet dog named Jazz who has been my best friend for over 12 years.