Dr. Brianna Parsons is a Lecturer in Sustainable Agriculture with the Center for Animal Health and Productivity at The University of Pennsylvania School of Veterinary Medicine, New Bolton Center. She received her undergraduate degree in biology and neuroscience & behavior at Wesleyan University in 2014, her veterinary degree from Penn Vet in 2018, and her MSEd in Education Entrepreneurship from Penn’s Graduate School of Education in 2020.
In 2016, Dr. Parsons co-founded Gambia Goat Dairy, a social-entrepreneurial pilot-project that researches and employs sustainable agricultural practices to improve community health and wellbeing and support inclusive economic development. Brianna is interested in impact-driven research examining the effect of productive livestock systems on livelihoods, food sovereignty and the environment. She is keenly interested in the role of animal-source foods in improving diet quality and health outcomes.
Dr. Parsons’ residency provided broad training in clinical food animal medicine and ruminant nutrition. She has created novel training opportunities for undergraduate and veterinary students through her work with Gambia Goat Dairy, which merge topics in social entrepreneurship, food sovereignty and veterinary medicine. She has research interests in leveraging sustainable agricultural production to support environmental, economic and social sustainability.