Post by Santa Clara University

For Jasmyn Burdsall ’20, some of the best medicine starts with food, community, and listening. A member of the Blackfeet Nation, Burdsall grew up learning about traditional medicine and reciprocity with nature from her grandmother. Today, as a Knight-Hennessy Scholar pursuing a Ph.D. in epidemiology at Stanford University, she is helping bridge Indigenous knowledge systems and public health research through a community-centered food-as-medicine program for Indigenous adults living with diabetes. She credits her Santa Clara University mentors with helping shape her path as a researcher focused on health equity, Indigenous knowledge, and community-centered public health.