Division of Health Management and Policy
Adjunct Assistant Professor
Email: lbrown2@sdsu.edu
Website: https://www.laurenleighbrown.com
View CV (google doc)
Education
- NIA Postdoctoral Fellow, Population Studies Center, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan
- PhD, Gerontology, University of Southern California Davis School of Gerontology
- MPH, Health Systems Management, Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine
Scholarly Areas
- 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
Biography
Centered around the biopsychosocial processes of aging, Dr. Brown’s research uses publicly available data to 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.
Current Work
Currently, Dr. Brown is training to conduct independent research projects that thoughtfully integrate race/ethnicity, stress, ancestry, and molecular biomarkers among older Black adults. Her long term goals are to develop the bioethics and genomics training necessary to engage older Black populations about their beliefs, perceived barriers, and demands for equitable data and benefit sharing practices in genetic research. She aims to expand the inclusivity and utility of biomarkers and genomics research in Black and African ancestry populations, recognizing that the existing structure of large survey and biobanking services provide an opportunity to not just extract biomarker and genomic data from Black communities, but to directly connect them to needed health care services and resources, family ancestry data, subsidized medications, royalties, or intellectual-property rights.
Publications
For a list of current publications, please visit Google Scholar
