Breanna Evett-Nicole Barrett

Academic Interests

Psychology, Global Health, Health Policy, Developmental Psychology

Fun Fact

I used to be a zookeeper

At Duke, I am on the executive board of Duke bioSTEMS club,  Social and Publicist Chair of Duke Students of the Caribbean, and a tech support staff member at Duke Law. During my downtime, I like to do pilates, kickboxing, and indoor cycling at Wilson Recreation Center and spend time with my friends.

My passion for Global Health was fueled during my freshman fall semester, doing two FOCUS courses related to health issues and patient problems in the American Healthcare System. My Science, Law, and Policy class was about showing us the social determinants of health, the science that medical doctors use (specifical oncologists), and the legislative policies within the healthcare system. This class showed how inequitable the US health system can be for certain sections of society. At the same time, my Patient Activism & Advocacy class explored the healthcare ramifications and how some patients would research their own rare diseases and push for answers. Learning about these issues and how they affect communities that I identify with led me to do the Duke Margolis Center for Health Policy Summer Internship. I was able to research the effects of Medical- Legal Partnerships at Academic Medical Centers and analyze if its effects if brought to the Duke Health System. I learned that although doctors and social workers can identify various barriers to healthcare as well as factors that contribute to poor patient outcomes, many of these issues cannot be solved through current care systems. Therefore, introducing attorneys into patient settings can help patients navigate various legal issues that may be causing bad health outcomes. 

What do you like about being a SPIRE Fellow?

I love SPIRE’s collaborative and welcoming community that supports each student in their academic pursuits. Front the vast opportunities provided to the loving relationships created between the fellows, SPIRE has added another reason why I can call Duke my home.