Dr. Fernandez is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, Irvine, in the Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior, and is both Division Director and Training Director in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Dr. Fernandez received her medical degree at Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska and also completed both a general psychiatry residency and child and adolescent psychiatry fellowship at Creighton University.

She is board certified in both general psychiatry and child adolescent psychiatry by the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology. Dr. Fernandez is a member of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry as well as its local group in southern California.

Dr. Fernandez is Medical Director of UCI's Adolescent Psychiatric Inpatient Unit as well as the FOCUS program, which provides services to sexually abused children. She also runs a Neurobehavioral multidisciplinary clinic which specializes in treatment of individuals with Autism and Mental Retardation.