About Briana Martin-Villa

Briana Martin-Villa is the daughter of Mexican farmworkers and grew up migrating across California’s Central Valley and Eastern Washington. Working alongside her mother and twin brother picking fruit, she witnessed the physical strain of long hours, pesticide exposure, and untreated illnesses. These lived experiences now fuel her mission to address and ameliorate health inequities in rural and farmworker communities.

As a first-generation college student, Briana studied bioengineering at Stanford University. She conducted research with Professor Sarah Heilshorn, engineering intestinal organoids to study gut repair following radiation and chemotherapy. In the lab, Briana saw firsthand that scientific advancement is only as powerful as its accessibility. This realization sparked a mission to ensure that disenfranchised communities like her own are not left behind by modern medicine. Working alongside Dr. Stephanie Smith, a pediatric oncologist, Briana transitioned from bench research to investigation that centers community voices. In partnership with a community organization, Briana co-created a culturally sensitive, linguistically tailored, family-centered communication intervention designed to transform how Latine cancer survivors and clinicians engage in care. A clinical trial is now planned to formally test this innovative model that bridges the community and clinic setting. Briana has presented her findings both at international scientific conferences and local community events.

For Briana, the work of scientific equity includes not just research, but the empowerment of future leaders within her community. In an effort to inspire youth from farmworking communities to explore science, Briana cofounded BioJam CoLABS during her time at Stanford, a biodesign program hosting annual summer camps for youth from the Salinas Valley. Through culturally grounded and intergenerational learning, youth explored pressing challenges in their community, such as farming practices to reduce pesticide exposure. BioJam reinforced Briana’s dedication to community-engaged learning and to building spaces where historically excluded communities shape the future of science and medicine.

Briana’s commitment to community-led change has taken her to the halls of national government. After graduating, Briana served as a John Gardner Public Service Fellow at the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Health Outcomes team. As the youngest staffer and only Latina on the team, she worked to increase community participation in biomedical research, advance the Biden Cancer Moonshot, and co-organize national forums such as the inaugural White House Minority Health Forum and White House Clinical Trials Forum. She also delivered the first-ever Spanish remarks on behalf of the Biden Cancer Moonshot, engaging the Latine community in this national effort.

Briana is currently a medical student at the University of Washington School of Medicine where she is preparing to practice at the intersection of clinical care, research, and policy. She is dedicated to ensuring that historically excluded communities possess the agency and resources to own their health, their voice, and their future.