Briana Lopez is a fourth-year medical student at Charles R. Drew University College of Medicine and a member of its inaugural medical school class, having previously earned a BS in Anthropology from UCLA, an MS in Biomedical Sciences, and an MPH in Urban Health Disparities from CDU. Her research has spanned smoking cessation, health disparities, breast cancer, and radiation oncology, including work with CDU, Stanford University, and Kaiser Permanente, where her current research focuses on clinicopathologic characteristics and oncologic outcomes in younger patients with oral tongue squamous cell carcinoma, for which she is presenting a poster at ASTRO 2026. Before medical school, she served as a Smoking Cessation Navigator across Los Angeles County safety-net clinics, conducting more than 1,300 patient interviews, and she has since contributed to five peer-reviewed publications and a community journal chapter addressing health disparities and substance use. As a future physician, Briana aims to reduce health disparities in Los Angeles County through community partnerships, patient-centered care, and systemic change, working collaboratively with healthcare and community leaders to advance equitable healthcare for vulnerable populations.
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