Leigh Ann Simmons

Dr. Leigh Ann Simmons is a nationally recognized women’s health equity scholar, therapist, and integrative health coach whose work bridges science, empathy, and action. A tenured Professor in the UC Davis Betty Irene Moore School of Nursing and founding director of the Health Equity Across the Lifespan (HEAL) Lab, she leads NIH-and state-funded studies that reimagine how we support women and families before,
during, and after pregnancy. Her research has been featured in dozens of journals and has attracted more than $16 million in funding from major federal and state agencies.

A trained therapist and certified integrative health coach, Simmons has designed digital and in-person programs that improve heart health, mood, and everyday well-being. She co-created the Veterans Health Administration’s Whole Health Coaching program—now used nationwide—and has trained hundreds of coaches to deliver more personalized, preventive care. In recognition of her impact, she was the inaugural recipient of the UC Davis Women & Philanthropy Award for innovation in women’s health equity research and advocacy.

Residing in Roseville, California, with her blended family of six humans and four cats, Dr. Simmons is a fitness enthusiast, live-music junkie, and frequent traveler who believes in curiosity as medicine. Like many women, she had to fight to be believed, spending two years, four doctors, and countless notes to get a diagnosis of Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. Her first book will turns that experience into a roadmap so no woman has to wait that long for answers again.