Team Behind the Care

Meet the people guiding our mission with compassion.

Donna Martinez, BSN, RN Student, DNP-AGCNS, University of Detroit Mercy

Smiling woman in blazer with hand on hip

Founder and President, The Homero Martínez Heart Failure Foundation

With more than 19 years of experience in advanced heart failure nursing, Donna has built her career on improving outcomes for patients facing the most complex cardiac challenges.

  • Clinical Background: Houston Methodist Hospital and graduate education at the University of Detroit Mercy, Detroit, Michigan.
  • Specialties: ICU care, multidisciplinary collaboration, complex cardiac therapies, and surgical support.
  • Leadership: Expertise in advanced heart failure therapies, leading collaborative initiatives, and mentoring clinical teams.
  • Impact: Reduced hospital stays and readmissions, improved quality of life, and optimized care coordination.

Purpose-Driven Leadership

As a clinician, advocate, and family member personally impacted by heart failure, my life’s work has been shaped by both professional experience and personal loss. Together with my late brother, we laid the foundation for what would become The Homero Martínez Heart Failure Foundation. Although my late brother passed away before seeing it formally launched, his vision and passion remain embedded in our mission to bridge the gap in access to specialized heart failure care, especially in rural and underserved communities, where distance, resources, and health inequities continue to limit life-saving opportunities.

Leadership and Impact

Throughout my career, I’ve led initiatives in mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and heart transplantation programs in the U.S. and Latin America, supported the development of start-up services, and guided hospitals through education, clinical consulting, and process improvement. My work has helped reduce hospital length of stay, improve patients’ quality of life, and strengthen care coordination across the ICU, OR, Cath Lab, inpatient, and outpatient care settings.

Whether mentoring new clinicians or improving hospital workflows, my mission has always been to elevate care, empower the teams delivering it, and advocate for the patients we serve.

Foundation and Mission

The Homero Martínez Heart Failure Foundation was created in loving memory of my father and my late brother, both of whom faced heart failure with immense strength and grace. My brother, who passed away in January 2025, played a pivotal role in shaping the vision for this foundation. He carried the torch for our family, championing the values of compassion, service, and community.

Today, I carry that torch forward, continuing my father’s legacy through my late brother, ensuring that patients in rural and underserved communities have access to the education, support, and specialized care they need to face heart failure with dignity and hope.

Kristin Malaer, LCSW-S

Kristin Malaer is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker-Supervisor (LCSW-S) with extensive expertise in the psychosocial care of patients navigating complex medical conditions, including heart failure, LVAD, and transplant journeys. As the social worker and behavioral health consultant for The Homero Martínez Heart Failure Foundation, Kristin brings a trauma-informed, patient-centered approach to improving mental health outcomes across the heart failure continuum.

Confident woman posing in formal attire

Commitment to Health Equity

With a deep commitment to health equity, Kristin helps the foundation support individuals in rural and underserved communities who are facing the emotional and psychological toll of heart failure. Her work ensures that patients and families receive not only education and access to care, but also the emotional resilience tools needed to navigate diagnosis, treatment, and transition periods.

Leadership and Impact

Kristin has spoken nationally on the mental health impact of advanced medical therapies and has contributed to building integrative models of care that treat the whole person—not just the disease. At the Foundation, she is instrumental in developing psychoeducational resources, support tools, and compassionate care protocols to ensure no one feels isolated during their heart failure journey.

Smiling woman holding She Is Strong sign

Dr. Brenda Berry Charles, DNP, APRN-BC, CCNS, PCCN

Advanced Clinical Advisor, The Homero Martínez Heart Failure Foundation

Experience and Expertise

Dr. Brenda Berry Charles brings over four decades of nursing excellence, leadership, and compassionate service to her role as clinical advisor for The Homero Martínez Heart Failure Foundation. A seasoned professional with deep roots in critical care, heart failure, and nursing education, Dr. Charles is known for her commitment to advancing patient-centered care—especially for those navigating complex cardiac conditions.

Clinical Leadership

Born with a heart for service and a mind for innovation, Dr. Charles has held numerous leadership roles in some of Texas’s most respected healthcare institutions, including Houston Methodist Hospital, MD Anderson Cancer Center, and Memorial Hermann. Her clinical expertise spans heart failure, acute coronary syndromes, pulmonary arterial hypertension, acute pain management, and ICU operations.

She has guided interdisciplinary teams and developed programs that improve care delivery, reduce hospital readmissions, and promote evidence-based practice across the continuum.