Breanna Chachere, a 2024 Pisacano Scholar, is a medical student at the University of Houston Tilman J. Fertitta Family College of Medicine. She earned her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology with a minor in Poverty, Justice, and Human Capabilities from Rice University and later completed a Master of Public Health degree at Boston University School of Public Health, with concentrations in Community Health Programming, Maternal & Child Health, and Chronic & Non-Communicable Diseases.

Breanna began her career coordinating dropout prevention programs for at-risk students in the Houston area. Her passion for addressing health disparities and improving the health of underserved communities led her to pursue a career in medicine, with a focus on community health and health equity. During medical school, Breanna served as an Albert Schweitzer Fellow, collaborating with the University of Houston’s Healthy Start Program to provide pregnancy and postpartum social support and education in underserved communities. She has also contributed to maternal health research and health systems quality improvement through her roles with the University of California – San Diego Health and the Perinatal-Neonatal Quality Improvement Network of Massachusetts.

Breanna is passionate about addressing health disparities and inequities in health care for maternal and child health populations. She was selected as an emerging scholar with the National African American Child and Family Research Center, focusing on African American children’s and family health, and a scholar in the Johnson & Johnson Alliance for Innovation in Medicine program, where she has gained experience in addressing health disparities, particularly within underrepresented minority populations. She has served as chair of the Student National Medical Association’s Specialty Interest Group in Family Medicine and has held leadership roles to support Family Medicine Interest Groups for the Texas Academy of Family Physicians and the American Academy of Family Physicians.

Breanna’s commitment to family medicine was further solidified by her personal experiences caring for her parents during their significant health challenges, both of whom passed away while she was in medical school. Witnessing the gaps in their care inspired her to pursue family medicine, where she aspires to provide compassionate, comprehensive, patient-centered care, while actively advocating for systemic improvements in healthcare delivery.

Outside of her academic and clinical pursuits, Breanna expresses her passion for health equity and community engagement through her medical school blog, where she focuses on maternal and adolescent health, health equity, grief, and supporting Black and underrepresented youth in accessing STEM fields. Her work aims to inspire the next generation of healthcare professionals while advocating for social change. In her free time, she enjoys staying active, reading, watching thrillers, and spending quality time with her family, friends, and her three beloved dogs.