Jessica de Leon, MD, is an associate professor in the UCSF Department of Neurology at the Weill Institute for Neurosciences and a clinician-researcher at the Edward and Pearl Fein Memory and Aging Center. Dr. de Leon specializes in the care of patients with cognitive decline and dementia, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD), frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). She also evaluates participants through the UCSF Dyslexia Center and provides care for patients at the Geriatrics Neurology Center at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, where she is dedicated to serving medically and economically disadvantaged communities.
Dr. de Leon is a member of the ALBA Language Neurobiology Lab, where she studies the effects of bilingualism, language background, and genetics on language disorders. Using primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and dyslexia as models, her work aims to unravel the complex relationships between brain function, language, and neurodegenerative diseases. She is also deeply interested in understanding the socioeconomic factors that influence dementia care and patient outcomes.
Dr. de Leon earned her undergraduate degrees in neuroscience and Spanish from Johns Hopkins University before completing her MD with a thesis at UCSF. She completed her medical internship and neurology residency at UCSF, where she served as chief resident. As both a clinician and researcher, Dr. de Leon is committed to advancing and sustaining opportunity for all through her work with patients and her research on cognitive health and resilience.