Brenda Castañeda-Castañeda is a Staff Research Associate in Dr. Yen’s Housing, Opportunity, and Place (HOPe) Lab within the Department of Public Health. She graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in Public Health from the University of California, Merced, in May 2020, and is currently pursuing a master’s degree in Public Health at UC Berkeley.

In her role at the HOPe Lab, Brenda assists with qualitative research that focuses on the experiences of women of color in K-12 school discipline. She has collaborated on research related to education and obesity, state disciplinary policies, and the effects of Universal Basic Income (UBI) programs on housing and education. During the coronavirus pandemic, Brenda was part of a data analysis team that examined both qualitative and quantitative data concerning community perceptions and understanding of the novel coronavirus. Through this work, she contributed to the COVIDLATNO.org campaign.

Raised in California's Central Valley, Brenda enjoys contributing to research and supporting her community. She is passionate about serving her community and reducing health disparities that negatively impact Hispanic/Latino individuals in the Central Valley. In her spare time, Brenda enjoys helping family, friends, and community members with Spanish interpretation and translation. Brenda has been a member of the translation team for various research projects aimed at making materials more accessible to Spanish-speaking communities. This work includes translating survey instruments, brochures, flyers, and websites.