Education

• NIA Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, 2018-2020
• PhD, Gerontology, University of Southern California; Dissertation: ‘Is Stress Exposure Enough? Race/Ethnic Differences in Chronic Stress Exposure and Appraisal among Older Adults’; 2013-2018
• MPH, Health Systems Management, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine; Thesis: ‘A trend analysis of needs assessment surveys and its policy implications for the New Orleans Regional AIDS Planning Council (NORAPC) as part of the comprehensive care plan for people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA)’, 2009-2010
• BS, Health Promotion and Disease Prevention, Business Law, University of Southern California, 2004-2008

Research

• Minority health, Black health & aging
• Stress & health
• Biomarkers of aging in diverse populations
• Ethical, social, and cultural implications of genetic and genomic research in Black communities

Affiliations

• Edward L. Schneider, MD, Chair in Gerontological Research; Chair of the committee to Enhance Excellence and Diversification of Mentored Research Training

Overview

Centered around the biopsychosocial processes of aging, Brown’s research uses publicly available data  with the goal of understanding the unique difficulties Black Americans face in maintaining physical and psychological well-being as they age. Focusing on the complex interplay between stress and health, her approach aims to reframe the Black disadvantage narrative in health and aging, highlighting the heterogeneity in how Black older adults observe their stress burdens and simultaneously adapt, thereby acknowledging the resourcefulness, coping, and agency they employ in reaching older adulthood.

Brown’s research and teaching philosophy emphasizes the value of statistics and quantitative methods in combination with community-based, publicly available data to create measurable change in the lives of Black people. While Brown’s work spans dimensions of stress, physical and mental health, and biomarkers of aging in diverse community-based samples, her work also challenges the methods used to study older Black adults. Taking on themes of measurement, methods and sampling, her research aims to more accurately depict the aging experience for Black communities.