Leiana de la Paz is a fifth-year PhD student in the Clinical Science Program.  She is a former T32 predoctoral fellow in the behavioral-biomedical interface training program (BBIP).  Leiana is from Southern California and graduated in 2018 with her B.S, in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior and a Minor in Psychology from the University of California, Davis.  She worked as an undergraduate research assistant and then full-time study coordinator at the UC Davis MIND Institute in the labs of Dr. Sally Ozonoff and Dr. Meghan Miller.  There, she studied shared and distinct developmental pathways of informants and children at risk for autism and ADHD.  Leiana's research interests include examining the interactions between genes and environmental factors, such as parenting and the impact of psychosocial adversity on parenting and family relationships.  She is examining how these processes contribute to the development and maintenance of ADHD and other comorbid disorders. 

In addition to being a predoctoral fellow in the Biomedical-Behavioral Interface Program T32 training program,  she also received the Lulu Merle Johnson Fellowship from the Graduate College at the University of Iowa.  Outside of work, Leiana enjoys hanging out with friends, baking, and spending time with her dog, Kai.