Mary-Ellen Brown

Mary-Ellen Brown, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor and the Josleen and Frances Lockhart Memorial Fellow for Direct Practice in Social Work at the Steve Hicks School of Social Work, University of Texas at Austin. Her research focuses on social determinants of health, health equity, toxic stress, and trauma in minoritized communities, using community-based participatory research and implementation science.

Education: MSW (2004) from University of South Carolina; MPA (2011) and PhD in Social Work (2015) from Louisiana State University.

Research emphasizes equitable community development, prevention strategies, and interventions to combat health inequities. She has authored a textbook on community social work practice and directs the Center for Resilient Communities, part of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

Awards include NASW-AZ Social Worker of the Year (2020) and ACOSA Emerging Scholar Award (2020). Her work is funded by the CDC, NIH, HUD, SAMHSA, and DOJ.