“I’m definitely not someone who went from Point A to Point B; I’ve gone up, down and sideways,” Brown said with a laugh, recalling how her career aspirations morphed over time.
As Department of Medicine’s new Vice Chair of Faculty Development, Brown hopes to shape a supportive and encouraging environment within the department where faculty members feel they can follow wherever their passions lead them.
Brown stepped into the vice chair role earlier this month. The post was created upon the departure of Sylk Sotto, MBA, MPS, EDD, the department’s former Vice Chair for Faculty Affairs and Professional Development and Vice Chair for Diversity, Health Equity, and Inclusion, who joined the University of Pittsburgh Health Sciences this summer as Associate Vice Chancellor for Faculty Development and Inclusive Excellence.
Sotto’s role was split into two positions that would further align with Department of Medicine goals and objectives: the Vice Chair of Faculty Development and the Vice Chair for Strategic Engagement.
Sacha Sharp, PhD, was named the Vice Chair for Strategic Engagement in July.
Brown is one of the department’s most celebrated clinical researchers.
She serves as Medical Director of the Clinical Research Centers at Indiana University School of Medicine and is a Professor of Clinical Medicine in the Division of Pulmonary, Critical Care, Occupational, and Sleep Medicine.
But she feels passionately about career development, she said, and that passion led her to participate in recent years in department professional development and wellness programs.
Brown co-chairs the department’s Women in Medicine organization, which meets monthly basis to discuss issues impacting women within the department and throughout the School of Medicine, and regularly features speakers, discussions, and an annual book club.
She also took part in various promotion and accountability groups, where she learned firsthand that mindful guidance along with small gestures of kindness and encouragement can go a long way when helping young and mid-career faculty achieve their goals.
Now, she’ll work closely with leaders across the department, as well as those in IU School of Medicine Faculty Affairs and Professional Development, to ensure various promotion, wellness and diversity benchmarks are being met, and determine where support is needed. She hopes to grow existing programs and establish new ones that focus on mentorship, leadership and well-being.
Brown joined the faculty at IU School of Medicine in 2014. She is board certified in pulmonary, critical care and sleep medicine, and her primary practice and research areas focus on care of adults with cystic fibrosis.
