Howard University medical student receives $5,000 award for essay on technology, environmental health and emergency medicine
ApolloMD EM Scholarship Recipient Brianna Watson
ATLANTA, Aug. 13, 2026 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) — ApolloMD has named Brianna Watson, a fourth-year student at Howard University College of Medicine, the winner of its 2026 Emergency Medicine Scholarship.
The ApolloMD Leadership Team selected Watson for the $5,000 award based on her response to an essay question about how technology will change emergency medicine over the next decade. Watson wrote about the environmental effects of the infrastructure that supports artificial intelligence, including the energy and water used by data centers, and how those effects could influence public health and emergency care.
“I think AI is great, but I think everything is great in moderation, just like sugar,” Watson said. “With AI, we have to be judicious.”
Watson grew up in Chino Hills, California. She studied sociology and molecular environmental biology at the University of California, Berkeley, before enrolling at Howard University College of Medicine in Washington, D.C. She expects to graduate in May 2027 and plans to pursue an emergency medicine residency.
Watson said the scholarship will help cover her Step 2 exam, emergency medicine away rotations and other expenses during her final year of medical school. The award will also help her prepare to move to Thailand for nine months of research after graduation.
“I was honestly so shocked and grateful,” she said. “It was such an amazing opportunity.”
As a 2026 Fulbright-Fogarty Scholar, Watson will conduct research in Chiang Mai, Thailand, on the effects of seasonal air pollution on older adults with diabetes. Her project will examine how exposure affects blood vessel function and inflammation.
The research will focus on fine particulate matter, or PM2.5, a form of air pollution made up of particles 2.5 micrometers in diameter or smaller. These particles can travel deep into the lungs, and some may enter the bloodstream.
Chiang Mai experiences periods of heavy air pollution during the region’s agricultural burning season. Watson plans to compare health effects during periods of higher and lower pollution.
Watson says she hopes the research will help emergency departments and public health agencies prepare for periods of poor air quality, including wildfire smoke. During those events, emergency departments may see more asthma attacks, breathing problems and complications of chronic health conditions.
Watson sees emergency medicine as a frontline specialty in public health. Emergency physicians care for people from all backgrounds and often see the effects of limited access to primary care, chronic illness and community health problems.
Watson wants to become an emergency physician who plays an active role in the community she serves. She also wants to work with policymakers and develop solutions based on the problems she encounters in clinical practice.
The 2026 award marks the ninth year of ApolloMD’s Emergency Medicine Scholarship.
About ApolloMD
Healthy Clinicians. Healthy Patients. Healthy Communities.
ApolloMD is a private, independent group with no outside ownership. The organization partners with more than 100 hospitals nationwide to provide integrated, multispecialty physician, advanced practice clinician and practice management services. ApolloMD’s high-touch, solutions-based approach emphasizes quality, efficiency, communication and patient experience. Eligible physicians and advanced practice clinicians have the opportunity to become owners and share in the company’s success. ApolloMD works with partner facilities to implement best practices and improve clinical and operational performance in a cost-effective manner.
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CONTACT: Media Contact: Erin Jewell Marketing Director, ApolloMD [email protected] ApolloMD.com
