Juliane Martinez is an experienced Lab Manager and Research Associate in UCLA’s Health Equity & Access Research & Treatment (HEART) Lab, led by director Dr. Jocelyn Meza, within UCLA’s Semel Institute for Neuroscience & Human Behavior in the Department of Psychiatry & Biobehavioral Sciences. In this role, Juliane manages suicide prevention and health equity studies, oversees participant data collection, and assists with federal NIH grant proposals and budget justifications.

“Most of the studies I have helped conduct have focused on reducing disparities among ethnoracially minoritized youth, adolescent and young adults, and those impacted by various social systems,” she said. “Being able to connect with our participants and hear their stories has shown me how there are many communities that are underserved, which has shaped my career so far and has aspired me to continue doing the work we do at the HEART Lab to be able to develop culturally responsive treatments and interventions.”

Her passion for research started as an undergraduate psychology student at California State University, Channel Islands, where she worked alongside her mentor and professor, Dr. Christy Teranishi-Martinez, as a research assistant conducting studies on flow, happiness and well-being, as well on sexual assault and sexual harassment.

Juliane holds both a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and a Bachelor of Science in Business (with a minor in Spanish) from California State University, Channel Islands (2022), and is expected to graduate from the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health Executive Master of Public Health (EMPH) program, with an emphasis in Health Policy and Management, in 2028.

By combining her background in behavioral science and business operations with the executive training of the EMPH program, Juliane plans to build a career in grant administration and research development within public health, ensuring evidence-based, culturally responsive care reaches underserved communities.