Kirsten R. Brown

Dr. Kirsten R. Brown serves as Assistant Professor of Medicine at the Center for Health Professions Education (CHPE) within the School of Medicine at Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USUHS) in Bethesda, MD. Her work bridges medical education and disability advocacy through rigorous qualitative methodologies.

Her academic credentials include:

• Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration and Student Affairs (2012), Bowling Green State University, specializing in Autism and Disability Studies
• M.A. in Sociology (2008), University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
• B.S. in Psychology and Sociology (2003), Carroll College

Dr. Brown's research pioneers disability-inclusive medical education, focusing on autism spectrum disorder in higher education contexts and disabled ways of knowing. Her scholarship, including the co-authored book Disability in Higher Education: A Social Justice Approach, challenges ableist structures through qualitative analysis of student narratives, campus accessibility, and clinical decision-making frameworks. She actively develops assessment tools that center disabled student experiences while examining intersections of disability with gender and institutional policy.

Recent publications (2021-2023) demonstrate evolving focus on dismantling disability discourse in community colleges, optimizing staff-to-student ratios in disability services, and integrating clinical reasoning into anatomy education. Her work consistently bridges theoretical disability studies with practical medical education reforms.

As an educator at CHPE, Dr. Brown mentors graduate students in Health Professions Education while serving on multiple editorial boards. Her research collaborations with Evans, Broido, and Peña drive national conversations on disability support systems, though specific grant funding details remain unreported in available materials.

Her leadership within CHPE advances institutional capacity for inclusive health professions training through curriculum development and disability service benchmarking initiatives.