Briana Hudson, MPH

I attribute all my success to those who poured into me at every stage of my life - my mother, my family, my mentors. I was always in leadership programs growing up, and I was part of the Upward Bound Program at the University of Maryland, which exposed me to college and what it meant. As a first-generation college student, that program encouraged me to pursue my education beyond just high school. I also attribute my success to my younger sisters - being an example for them motivates me. I always try to do things and share advice with them so that they can make an honest living for themselves as well. I'm very proud of all the things that I have been fortunate to be a part of throughout my life, and all the people that I have met, and all the communities that I have connected with. Everything in my life has brought me to this moment.

The best career advice I've received is that you always have to listen first - great leaders listen and allow for others to provide feedback. It's also really important to make sure that you're always leading with humility, but at the same time, not being afraid to speak up on your ideas. Early in my career, one of my downfalls was not really feeling encouraged to share what ideas I had on my mind and how I felt I could be part of the solution. I was very shy and scared because I didn't ever want to say anything that was wrong. But sometimes you do have to open up and allow yourself to be vocal and share your ideas with your team, because sometimes your idea could be the one that makes change. That has helped me so much in my career to the point where I have been able to grow and become a better leader. And it's okay to ask for help - there's nothing wrong with delegating tasks or asking questions. Sometimes we take on too much and become frustrated and stressed, and sometimes that's self-induced stress. If there's any way that you can ask for help and get some of the work done, I think that has helped me as well, especially when you're talking about having work-life balance.

The advice I would give to young women entering my industry is to actively seek guidance from experienced professionals and mentors. Listen carefully to the communities you serve before proposing solutions, share your ideas confidently, and never hesitate to ask for support when you need it.

One of the biggest challenges—and opportunities—in my field right now is addressing health disparities in underserved and minority communities. I see this as a chance to build local capacity, provide targeted trainings and resources, and empower STEM professionals to serve as advocates within their own communities.

Family and friends are most important to me, and building my own community. That's something that I have been really intentional about lately, making sure that there are opportunities for me and some of the ladies locally to interact with one another. I love to cook and am always interested in trying to cook new cuisines. I read and lead a book club with some friends, which is always a great opportunity. I like to think of myself as a connector because I host local events with family and friends - they are sometimes on the grander side of things - just providing opportunities to connect locally and build my own community. I also love to travel because through traveling, I've been able to experience new places, cuisine, and new cultures. Those have been really big for me over the past couple of years, and I love to invest some time in traveling so I can experience new things outside of the DMV area.