Krista

Tabuenca

, PhD, MHS

Child Psychologist
Assistant Clinical Professor, at the David Geffen School

Biography

Dr. Krista Tabuenca, Ph.D., M.H.S., is a child psychologist and Assistant Clinical Professor at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA. She earned her Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology with an emphasis in Child and Family from Palo Alto University, and her Master of Health Science in Mental Health from Johns Hopkins University. Dr. Tabuenca’s clinical expertise encompasses pediatric psychology, particularly in acute care settings, where she has held significant roles such as Director of the Acute Care Track at UCLA, Interim Director of the Inpatient Adolescent Eating Disorders Unit, and Co-director of the Pediatric Psychology Consultation-Liaison Service. She has contributed to numerous publications and presentations on topics including anxiety in youth, affirmative care in transgender health, and pediatric mental health. Dr. Tabuenca has been recognized for her outstanding teaching at UCLA and has received several scholarships and awards throughout her academic and professional career. Her previous experience also includes roles at UCSF Benioff Children’s Hospital and Yale Child Study Center, where she provided assessments to children in the emergency room as well as child anxiety treatment. Dr. Tabuenca is dedicated to the care of some of the most vulnerable youth and families through teaching, which she offers seminars and didactics to UCLA trainees such as Child Psychology Predoctoral Interns, medical residents, and Child Psychiatry (CAP) Fellows.