Jennifer L. Kruse, MD
- Psychiatry
About
Dr. Jennifer L. Kruse is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, board-certified in Adult Psychiatry, Consultation-Liaison (C-L) Psychiatry, and Obesity Medicine. She is the founding director of the UCLA C-L Psychiatry Fellowship Program and serves as the Medical Director for C-L Psychiatry Services across UCLA Health’s acute care hospitals and outpatient clinics, leading strategic initiatives to improve and expand behavioral health services within medical and surgical settings across the health system.
A physician-scientist, Dr. Kruse studies mood disorders at the intersection of immune and metabolic pathways. She is the UCLA site PI for the BD² Integrated Network study of bipolar I disorder and leads the network’s Biospecimen and Bioassay Working Group. With support from a foundation award, she is additionally investigating mitochondrial function, inflammation, and metabolic dysfunction in a subset of this cohort. Her federally funded collaborations include NIH R01 studies on depression, suicide risk, and neural mechanisms of well-being in older adults. She previously led an NIMH K23 and has contributed to numerous NIH-funded studies of mood, cognition, and brain function.
Dr. Kruse brings an integrative approach to clinical care, research, education, and leadership, and maintains an outpatient and inpatient practice at UCLA.
Languages
Education
Medical Board Certifications
Fellowship
Residency
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
- DGSOM-Anderson Leadership Program in Academic Medicine (2024) – Competitively selected for this inaugural cohort of emerging leaders in academic medicine at UCLA.
- Huvane Family Friends of Semel Institute Research Scholar Award (2023) – Foundation-funded award supporting neuroscience research
- Wilder Research Scholar, UCLA (2014–2023) – Institutional designation supporting junior faculty research independence
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Locations
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Areas of Focus
Research
Interests
Dr. Kruse’s research focuses on the role of inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in mood disorders. Through interdisciplinary collaborations, she integrates molecular and neuroimaging tools—including cytokine and mitochondrial assays, epigenetic markers, and neural measures—to investigate biological contributors to treatment resistance and guide development of precision treatment strategies for depression and bipolar disorder.
Publications
Link to Dr. Kruse's PubMed publications ›
- Dellink A, Vanderhaegen G, Coppens V, Ryan KM, McLoughlin DM, Kruse JL, van Exel E, van Diermen L, Belge JB, Malmei Aarsland TI, Morrens M. Inflammatory markers associated with electroconvulsive therapy response in patients with depression: A meta-analysis. Neurosci Biobehav Rev. 2025 Feb 10;106060.
- Brooks JO 3rd, Kruse JL, Kubicki A, Hellemann G, Espinoza RT, Irwin MR, Narr KL. Structural brain plasticity and inflammation are independently related to changes in depressive symptoms six months after an index ECT course. Psychol Med. 2023 Jan 5;1–9.
- Kruse JL, Boyle CC, Olmstead R, Breen EC, Tye SJ, Eisenberger NI, Irwin MR. Interleukin-8 and depressive responses to an inflammatory challenge: Secondary analysis of a randomized controlled trial. Sci Rep. 2022 Jul 24;12(1):12627.
- Irwin MR, Olmstead R, Kruse JL, Breen EC, Haque R.
- Association of interleukin-8 and risk of incident and recurrent depression in long-term breast cancer survivors. Brain Behav Immun. 2022 Jul 5;105:131–138.
- Andreou B, Reid B, Lyall AE, Cetin-Karayumak S, Kubicki A, Espinoza R, Kruse JL, Narr KL, Kubicki M.
- Longitudinal trajectory of response to electroconvulsive therapy associated with transient immune response and white matter alteration post-stimulation. Transl Psychiatry. 2022 May 7;12(1):191.
- Yates C, Kruse JL, Price J, Robertson AB, Tye SJ.
- Modulating neuroplasticity: Lessons learned from antidepressants and emerging novel therapeutics. Curr Treat Options Psychiatry. 2021 Oct;8(4):229–257.
- Kruse JL, Olmstead R, Hellemann G, Breen EC, Tye SJ, Brooks JO, Wade B, Congdon E, Espinoza R, Narr KL, Irwin MR. Interleukin-8 and lower severity of depression in females, but not males, with treatment-resistant depression. J Psychiatr Res. 2021 Aug;140:350–356.
In the News
- UCLA Researchers Participate in Key Sessions at the American Psychiatric Association Annual Meeting. UCLA Health Newsroom, May 2025; Dr. Kruse was featured for her work on inflammation and metabolic dysfunction in mood disorders, including how these pathways influence depression treatment outcomes. Read article ›
- Bold Minds, Bright Futures: Celebrating Women in Neuroscience – BD² News, Feb 2025; Dr. Kruse was recognized as a woman leader in neuroscience contributing to collaborative advances in mood disorder research. Read article ›
- Some Psychiatrists Prescribe Ozempic to Counter Weight Gain from Mental Health Drugs. The New York Times, Nov 2023; Dr. Kruse was interviewed about the use of GLP-1 medications like Ozempic in psychiatric practice to address weight gain associated with some treatment options for mental health conditions. Read article ›
- Comprehensive New Study Aims to Better Understand Bipolar Disorder. UCLA Health News, Oct 2023; Highlights Dr. Kruse’s role as UCLA site principal investigator for a large national effort funded by BD² to study bipolar disorder using integrated clinical, biological, and digital data. Read article ›
- Inflammation May Predict Effectiveness of Electroconvulsive Therapy for Depression. UCLA Newsroom, March 2018; Dr. Kruse led research showing that inflammation levels may help determine which patients with major depression are most likely to benefit from ECT. Read article ›
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
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Recognitions
- DGSOM-Anderson Leadership Program in Academic Medicine (2024) – Competitively selected for this inaugural cohort of emerging leaders in academic medicine at UCLA.
- Huvane Family Friends of Semel Institute Research Scholar Award (2023) – Foundation-funded award supporting neuroscience research
- Wilder Research Scholar, UCLA (2014–2023) – Institutional designation supporting junior faculty research independence
- Early Career Researcher Award, Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (2020)
- Career Development Institute for Psychiatry Scholar, NIH-funded (2015)
- Webb Fellowship, Academy of Consultation-Liaison Psychiatry (2013)
- Outstanding Teaching Award, UCLA Department of Psychiatry (2013)
- AMA Foundation Leadership Award (2008)