Jessica M. Bernacki, PhD
(she/her) - Pediatric Psychology
About
Dr. Jessica Bernacki is a licensed clinical psychologist who joined the Department of Medicine in 2013. She completed her doctoral training at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, her pre-doctoral internship in the UCLA Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, and her postdoctoral fellowship at Stanford University in the Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Dr. Bernacki is the UCLA Gender Health Program Director of Behavioral Health and was the founding psychologist in 2016. She provides consultation, assessment, and therapy to gender-diverse individuals of all ages. Her clinical interests include multidisciplinary gender-affirmative care with trans/gender-diverse youth, youth with differences in sex development/variations in sex characteristics, and providing evidence-based services in primary care settings.
In addition to her clinical work, Dr. Bernacki has been involved in several UCLA training programs, including the Combined Internal Medicine and Pediatrics Residency Program, the DGSOM's Early Authentic Clinical Experience (EACE) in LGBTQ+ healthcare, and the LGBTQ+ Healthcare Fellowship.
Contact
310-267-4334 - Gender Health
Languages
Education
Fellowship
Internship
Degree
Recognitions
Locations
Santa Monica 16th Street Internal Medicine & Pediatrics
Hospital Affiliations
Ronald Reagan UCLA Medical Center
UCLA Santa Monica Medical Center
Medical Services
Areas of Focus
Research
Publications
Bernacki, J. M. & Weimer, A. K. (2019). Role of Development on Youth Decision-Making and Recovery from Gender-Affirming Surgery. Clinical Practice in Pediatric Psychology. 7 (3), 312-321. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/cpp0000294
Rava J, Rosenau K A, Wilkie K, Bernacki, J. M., et al. (2023). The Needle Anxiety Program: A Patient-Centered Initiative for Individuals with Developmental Disabilities. Cureus 15(7): e42253. doi:10.7759/cureus.42253.
Bertrand, A. A., DeLong, M. R., McCleary, S., Nahabet, E. H., Slack, G. C., DaLio, A. L., Weimer, A. K., Kwan, L., Bernacki, J., Rudkin, G. (2024). Gender-Affirming Mastectomy: Psychosocial and Surgical Surgical Outcomes in Transgender Adults. Journal of the American College of Surgeons. January 31, 2024. 10.1097/XCS.0000000000000940.
Budge, S.L., Abreu, R.L., Flinn, R.E., Donahue, K., Estevez, R., Olezeski, C., Bernacki, J. M., Barr, S., Bettergarcia, J., Sprott, R., & Allen, B.J. (2024). Gender affirming care is evidence-based for transgender youth. Journal of Adolescent Health, 7(6), 851-853.10.1016/j.jadohealth.2024.09.009.
Parchem, B., Sajwani, A., Boerner, K. E., Coyne, C. C., Poquiz, J., Ellerkamp, H., Bernacki, J. M., Donahue, K (2025). Providing for providers: Peer Support Groups for Psychologists and Trainees in Pediatric Gender Health. Clinical Practice of Pediatric Psychology.
Insurance
- Aetna
- Anthem Blue Cross
- Blue Shield of California
- Centivo
- Cigna
- First Health
- Health Net of California
- Interplan (part of HealthSmart)
- L.A. Care
- Medicare Advantage
- MultiPlan
- UFCM Health System
- Prime Health Services
- Private Healthcare Systems (PHCS)
- TRICARE
- UnitedHealthcare
The list of health care plans above may not be comprehensive and could change.
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