Laura Hennefield
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
- Phone: 314-273-7001
- 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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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., Ramiah, A., Tillman, R., Barch, D. M., Luby, J. & Hennefield, L., Sep 2025, In: JAACAP Open. 3, 3, p. 516-526 11 p.
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Early Pubertal Timing, Suicidality, and Self-Injurious Behaviors in Preadolescents: Evidence for Concurrent and Emergent Risk Prediction
Luking, K. R., Hennefield, L., Ortin-Peralta, A., Wright, A. J. & Whalen, D. J., Sep 2025, In: Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. 64, 9, p. 1047-1055 9 p.
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Characteristics Differentiating Preadolescents With Suicidal Ideation From Those Who Display Suicidal Behaviors
Hennefield, L., Donohue, M. R., Hoyniak, C. P., Whalen, D. J., Thompson, R. J., Tillman, R., Luby, J. L. & Barch, D. M., Aug 2025, In: Suicide and Life-Threatening Behavior. 55, 4, e70040.