Laura Hennefield
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
- Phone: 314-286-1700
- Email: lhennefield@nospam.wustl.edu
Education & Training
- Postdoctoral Research Fellowship: Washington University, St. Louis, MO, 2020
- Ph.D.: Washington University in St Louis, 2015
- M.S.: CUNY Hunter College, 2008
- B.S.: State University of New York at Purchase, 2005
Major Awards
- Early Career Researcher Innovation Grant, American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (AFSP), Understanding and Assessing Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in School-Age Children, 2024 – 2026
- NIMH K01 Mentored Research Scientist Career Development Award, Suicidality in Young Children: Social and Cognitive Developmental Markers of Risk and Resiliency, 2022
- NICHD F32 Ruth L. Kirschstein Postdoctoral Individual National Research Service Award (NRSA), Development of Optimism in Preschool Age Children, 2017-2020
Research Interests
Child Psychopathology, Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Childhood
Recent Publications
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Asking Preadolescents About Suicide Is Not Associated With Increased Suicidal Thoughts
Hennefield, L., Luking, K. R., Tillman, R., Barch, D. M., Luby, J. L. & Thompson, R. J., Jan 2026, In: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 65, 1, p. 34-41 8 p.
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Early Emotion Development Intervention Improves Mental Health Outcomes in Low-Income, High-Risk Community Children
Hennefield, L., Alberts, K., Donohue, M. R., Tillman, R., McCoy, A., Diggs, G., Paul, Z. A., Kohl, P. L. & Luby, J. L., Oct 2025, In: Child Psychiatry and Human Development. 56, 5, p. 1457-1471 15 p.
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Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Elementary School–Aged Youth: A Pilot Study in 5- to 10-Year-Olds
Miller, A. B., Sheridan, M. A., Pelletier-Baldelli, A., Sirhal, S. R., Lu, J., Boda, S. S., Ishaque, Z., Gruhn, M., Carolus, A. E., Morgan-López, A. A., Hennefield, L. & Oppenheimer, C. W., Sep 2025, In: JAACAP Open. 3, 3, p. 527-537 11 p.
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Preliminary Validity for a Brief Caregiver-Report Screener for Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Children Under Age 8
Hennefield, L., Chen, C., Agali, U. & Luby, J. L., Sep 2025, In: JAACAP Open. 3, 3, p. 485-495 11 p.
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The Presence of Externalizing Diagnoses Increases the Risk of Suicidal Thoughts and Behaviors in Youth Enriched for Early-Onset Depression
Duncan, M., Vogel, A. C., Ramiah, A., Tillman, R., Barch, D. M., Luby, J. & Hennefield, L., Sep 2025, In: JAACAP Open. 3, 3, p. 516-526 11 p.