Brianna Watson is a medical student at Howard University College of Medicine with a strong interest in global health, environmental health, and health policy. She earned dual undergraduate degrees in sociology and molecular environmental biology from the University of California, Berkeley, where she developed a foundation in both the social and biological determinants of health. She later completed a master’s degree in biomedical engineering at Cornell University, where her thesis focused on muscle stem cell regeneration and deepened her interest in translational research that serves diverse populations.
Mrs. Watson has held multiple policy fellowships on Capitol Hill, working on issues including health equity, maternal health, and access to care. Through these experiences, she developed a strong interest in how legislation, reimbursement structures, and federal funding priorities shape health outcomes long before patients enter clinical spaces.
Her research experiences, including participation in the Medical Student Scholars for Health Equity in Myeloma Program and a CDC-funded Ferguson RISE Fellowship at Johns Hopkins University, have reinforced her commitment to studying environmental exposures and structural drivers of disease that disproportionately affect marginalized communities in both domestic and global settings.
Ultimately, Watson aspires to work at the intersection of academic medicine, health services research, and public policy to advance equitable health systems and improve outcomes for underserved populations worldwide.