Leanna Hernandez

Leanna Hernandez, Ph.D., is Assistant Professor-in-Residence in the Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences at the David Geffen School of Medicine, University of California, Los Angeles. She directs the Hernandez Lab and can be reached at leannahernandez@ucla.edu.

Her research integrates multimodal neuroimaging with large-scale genetics to uncover mechanisms underlying autism spectrum disorders, sex differences in brain development, and the role of immune–neurodevelopment pathways such as the complement system. Core themes include:

• Mapping how common genetic variation shapes brain structure and function across development.
• Identifying neural signatures that explain the female protective effect in ASD.
• Elucidating interactions between sleep physiology and brain maturation in youth.

Across more than 40 peer-reviewed publications (2012-2023) she has leveraged data from the Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study, the GENDAAR Consortium, and multiple international biobanks, generating insights into white-matter microstructure, functional connectivity, and transcriptomic correlates of psychiatric traits.

Scientific collaborations span UCLA, UC San Diego, University of Queensland, and the Busselton Health Study, reflecting an interdisciplinary approach that combines neuroimaging, genomics, lipidomics, and behavioral phenotyping.

Dr. Hernandez’s laboratory website (hernandezlabucla.org) provides further resources, although specific trainees, grants, and awards are not detailed in the supplied text.