Lesley Guarena Espinosa

Graduate Student, Clinical Psychology
Faculty Advisor: Lee Ryan
Lesley Guarena headshot

Psychology 217H

Pronouns:
She, Her, Hers

My name is Lesley A. Guareña, and I am a Clinical Psychology Ph.D. student, also part of the Neuropsychology minor. Prior to coming to the U of A, I graduated from the University of California San Diego (UCSD) with a major in Psychology. Upon graduation, I worked in the Diversity in Aging Research Lab administering neuropsychological assessments in English and Spanish to community-dwelling Latinos with and without HIV. I also held an administrative role supporting early career researchers in their research via the San Diego Alzheimer's Disease Resource Center for Minority Aging Research (SD AD-RCMAR). 

Research Interests:

  • Influence of stress on neurocognition in diverse adults 
  • Neuroimaging correlates and neurocognitive outcomes of perceived discrimination 
  • Development of normative data for diverse aging groups 

Selected Publications: 

  • Guareña, L.A., Kamalyan, L., Watson, C. W., Karcher, K., Umlauf, A., Morgan, E., Moore, D.J., Ellis, R., Grant, I., Cherner, M., Moore, R., Zlatar, ZZ., Heaton, R.K., Marquine, M.J. (revised and resubmitted). Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. Associations of Emotional Health and Neurocognition in
    Hispanic and Non-Hispanic White Persons with HIV.

  • Kamalyan, L., Guareña, L., Díaz-Santos, M., Suarez, P., Cherner, M., García Alcorn, M., . . . Marquine, M. (2021). Influence of Educational Background, Childhood Socioeconomic Environment, and Language Use on Cognition among Spanish-Speaking Latinos Living Near the US–Mexico Border. Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society. 2022; 1-15. doi:10.1017/S1355617721001028

  • Morlett-Paredes A., Guareña, L.A., Stickel, A., Schrairer, C., González, H.M. (2022). To Donate, or not to Donate, that is the Question: Latino Insights into Brain Donation. Alzheimer's Dement. 2022; 1- 7. https://doi.org/10.1002/alz.12755 

Updated 03/15/23

Degree(s)

  • B.A. Psychology, University of California: San Diego (UCSD)