Vital CxNs

Briana (she/ella/ta) is an Indigenous Boricua and Mexican woman from a low-income background who is dedicated to partnering with equity-deserving communities to cultivate the conditions for holistic wellbeing. Her lived experience, passion for storytelling, and background in multisectoral collaboration through research, direct service, and policy roles inform her approach to equity-driven systems change in local and global contexts. Briana is a Project Manager at Vital CxNs, a nonprofit start-up that partners with communities to co-create a more accessible, effective & equitable health ecosystem in Boston. She currently leads the organization’s food access initiative, known as the Neighborhood Food Action Collaborative, and its clinical-community partnerships.

Briana, a Gates Millennium Scholar and first-generation college student, received her bachelor’s in Cultural Anthropology and Global Health from Duke University and her Master of Public Health from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health. Originally from Houston, she proudly embraces her own story as the impetus for her professional trajectory.

When she is not co-creating a more just world with communities, Briana is nurturing her mind-body-spirit connection through dance, painting, and other creative arts or learning about different cultures through food and travel.