Bianca Leonard

Background

About Bianca Leonard

More people than ever are openly discussing mental health topics: its challenges and its stigma. So, why are more young people struggling with their mental health year after year? This is what I am thinking about - day in and day out - both as a neuroscience PhD candidate in Neurobiology and Behavior, and as a medical student. I am focused on understanding and integrating what we are rapidly discovering about the brain on the frontiers of neuroscience with what I have studied about the body and the lived experiences of patients about medical school. I am proudly Honduran-American with my family evenly divided between the two countries, and I have witnessed both personally and professionally the nuanced effects that culture, immigration status, and access can have on physical and mental healthcare for diverse and marginalized communities. My PRIME-LC training has polished and elevated my ability to materialize change for my future patients and their communities. Whether analyzing brain activity data in a brain experiencing anhedonia, teaching a class about the effects of early life adversity on the brain’s development, or simply walking the difficult journey that mental health can bring to ourselves and others dear to us, I bring compassion, creativity, and dedication to each person and project that crosses my path.