Professor | Gerontologist
Dr. Brown is an Assistant Professor and Gerontologist. Centered around the biopsychosocial processes of aging, Dr. 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.
Dr. 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 Dr. 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. Dr. Brown also teaches an introduction to data analysis course that destigmatizes S.T.E.M. education for diverse student populations and ensures the visibility of Black and Brown people via data and storytelling.