Dr. Juliana Friend is a medical anthropologist specializing in ethnographic and community-engaged qualitative research. Drawing on expertise in digital health, bioethics, and privacy studies, Dr. Friend's work addresses the intersection of tech policy and health equity and aims to amplify the perspectives of medically underserved communities on how to equitably distribute the benefits of emerging technologies while minimizing potential harms.

She recently completed data collection documenting how people self-sourcing abortion pills online in states with abortion bans conceptualize and experience digital privacy risks. This data will inform efforts to support digital and reproductive autonomy in restrictive settings. She has also worked internationally, collaborating with criminalized communities in Senegal to produce a digital privacy toolkit and recommend policies to strengthen protections against image-based sexual abuse. In 2024, she joined Dr. Krista Harrison's NIH/NIA-funded study which aims to improve hospice and end-of-life care for people with dementia and care partners identifying Black, Latinx, and Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI). Dr. Friend's work with UCSF CTSI's Regulatory Knowledge and Support (RKS) program promotes the meaningful involvement of patients and diverse stakeholders in AI governance at an academic medical center.