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Memorial Sloan Kettering Psychologist Laura Cimini

Laura Cimini, PhD, EdM

Pediatric Psychologist

My Role at MSK

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Clinical Psychology for Children, Adolescents, Adults and Family Systems
  • Psycho-Oncology
  • Patient-Centered and Family-Focused Care
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Dr. Cimini's Office Information
Languages: English
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About Me

What I Do at MSK
  • Assistant Attending Psychologist, Memorial Hospital for Cancer and Allied Diseases, Department of Pediatrics and Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences
  • Assistant Faculty (Level I), Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
  • Assistant Professor
Get To Know Me

I am a pediatric psychologist on the multidisciplinary MSK Kids’ team. I specialize in working with children, adolescents, caregivers, and families using evidence-based interventions in individual, family, and group settings. I work with patients and families at multiple points on their cancer journey, from adjusting to their initial diagnosis through survivorship.

In my practice I support those patients dealing with a range of challenges including adjustment reactions, anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and bereavement, life transitions, and self-esteem difficulties. Using a variety of therapeutic approaches, I customize a care plan for each patient to ease distress and empower them and their families to face the challenges that accompany a cancer diagnosis. I help to foster resiliency through building coping skills, practicing self-compassion, and improving communications patterns that help patients and families adapt to their changing environment and tap into their capacity for healing. 

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I have extensive training in pediatric neuropsychology and have utilized my neuropsychological assessment skills with a diverse population of pre-school and school-age children. As such, I am able to identify interventions and accommodations to help children return to school or who are struggling to learn. My training uniquely prepares me to understand and support child development and navigate school systems, one of the most prominent parts of a child’s life. I also use my experience in this area to help children and families to better understand and adjust to neurocognitive changes that result from treatment.

My work also includes integrating clinical practice with research that has the potential to help patients within and beyond MSKCC. I am interested in developing screening procedures for pediatric patients at various time points in their treatment and into survivorship for adjustment-related issues. I am also interested in studying the clinical impact of early neuropsychological assessment and education advocacy for pediatric oncology patients.

I am a member of the Children’s Oncology Group (COG), Society of Pediatric Psychology (Division 54 of the American Psychological Association), and the American Psychosocial Oncology Society (APOS).

My Role at MSK

A pediatric psychologist is a doctor with special training in mental and behavioral health therapies for children and adolescents.

Areas of Expertise

My Specialties

  • Clinical Psychology for Children, Adolescents, Adults and Family Systems
  • Psycho-Oncology
  • Patient-Centered and Family-Focused Care
  • Evidence-Based Interventions
  • Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy
  • Play Therapy
  • Neuropsychological Assessment and Educational Advocacy
Education & Honors

Education

  • PhD, in School Psychology, Columbia University
  • EdM, in Applied Developmental and Learning Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • MA, in Educational Psychology, Teachers College, Columbia University
  • BA, Colby College, Waterville, ME

Residencies

  • APA-Accredited Predoctoral Internship in Clinical Psychology, South Shore Mental Health, Quincy, MA

Fellowships

  • Postdoctoral Fellowship in Pediatric Psychology & Neuropsychology, The Stephen D. Hassenfeld Children’s Center for Cancer and Blood Disorders at NYU Langone Health (2015-2017)

Board Certifications

  • NY State Licensed Psychologist

Insurance Information

Understanding your insurance options is an important part of managing your cancer care. We have relationships with many common healthcare providers and plans.

Aetna

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS, Transplant

Aetna Medicare Advantage (MTA retirees only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Anthem BCBS and other BCBS licensee plans

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

See updates

Anthem BCBS Health Plus

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Anthem Blue Cross Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO, DSN

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield Federal Employee Program

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

See updates

Blue Cross Blue Shield states outside of NY/NJ

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO PPO, POS

See updates

Carrum Health

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

Cigna

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Connecticare

In Network Coverage Type
POS, EPO, HMO

Emblem

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Emblem to learn more.

Emblem Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Emblem Medicare Advantage (Medicare Choice PPO Network and VIP Prime Network Only)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Empire Essential

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Empire Plan / NYSHIP (Blue Cross/UnitedHealthcare split plan)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

Fidelis

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, EPO

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Fidelis to learn more.

Fidelis Managed Medicaid & HARP

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Fidelis Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

First Health

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

Healthfirst

In Network Coverage Type
EPO, HMO, PPO, POS

Offers a qualified health plan from the Health Insurance Marketplace. Call Healthfirst to learn more.

Healthfirst Managed Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

Healthfirst Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
HMO, PPO

Healthsmart

In Network Coverage Type
PPO EPO

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (HMO)

In Network Coverage Type
HMO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey (PPO)

In Network Coverage Type
PPO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier I (EPO)

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

Horizon Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey Omnia Tier II (EPO)

In Network Coverage Type
EPO

See updates

Horizon Medicare Advantage

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

Husky CT Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Magnacare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO

Straight NJ Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Straight NY Medicaid

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Medicare Part A&B (traditional Medicare)

In Network Coverage Type
Federal Government

Multiplan/Beech Street/PHCS

In Network Coverage Type
Supplemental

MVP

In Network Coverage Type
PPO/OAP

Non-Participating Plans with Out of Network Benefits

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, EPO, HMO

NYC Medicare Advantage Plus for City Employees

In Network Coverage Type
TBD

Oscar

In Network Coverage Type
HMO/EPO

Oxford

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, EPO

World Trade Center Health Program (WTC)

In Network Coverage Type
State Government

Qualcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Tricare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, HMO

UMR

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS

United Healthcare

In Network Coverage Type
PPO, POS, HMO

Don't see your carrier or plan? We can help you understand your coverage.

If you don't have health insurance or are worried that your care may not be fully covered, our financial assistance programs may be able to help.

If you have questions about insurance, call us at 646-497-9176.

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Contact and Location

Dr. Cimini sees patients at one location.

Office Phone
Location
New York, NY
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center
1275 York Avenue New York NY 10065
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Colleagues

Doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering work as teams, with specialists from all different areas. This allows us to consider all your needs together, and to give you the best possible care.

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Clinical Trials

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Find a Clinical Trial for You

Memorial Sloan Kettering's doctors and scientists are constantly developing new treatments for cancer. MSK is typically running hundreds of clinical trials at a given time.

You may be able to participate in a clinical trial even if you are new to MSK. Search our online directory to find trial information and see more about who can participate.

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Research and Publications

Bhatia M, Kolva E, Cimini L, Jin Z, Satwani P, Savone M, George D, Paz ML, Briamonte C, Cruz-Arrieta E, Sands S (2015). Health-Related Quality of Life after Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation for Sickle Cell Disease. Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, 21 (4): 666-672. PMCID: PMC5580933

Disclosures

Doctors and faculty members often work with pharmaceutical, device, biotechnology, and life sciences companies, and other organizations outside of MSK, to find safe and effective cancer treatments, to improve patient care, and to educate the health care community.

MSK requires doctors and faculty members to report (“disclose”) the relationships and financial interests they have with external entities. As a commitment to transparency with our community, we make that information available to the public.

Laura Cimini discloses the following relationships and financial interests:

No disclosures meeting criteria for time period


If you’re a patient at MSK and would like more information about your doctor’s external relationships, please talk with your doctor.

The information published here is a complement to other publicly reported data and is for a specific annual disclosure period. There may be differences between information on this and other public sites as a result of different reporting periods and/or the various ways relationships and financial interests are categorized by organizations that publish such data.

This page and data include information for a specific MSK annual disclosure period (January 1, 2023 through disclosure submission in spring 2024). This data reflects interests that may or may not still exist. This data is updated annually.

Learn more about MSK’s COI policies here. For questions regarding MSK’s COI-related policies and procedures, email MSK’s Compliance Office at [email protected].


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