Mary Beth Brown, PT, PhD
| Title: | Associate Professor |
|---|---|
| Division: | Physical Therapy |
Dr. Brown began her career in research as faculty in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Indiana University where she was promoted to Associate Professor with tenure. She transitioned to a new faculty position in Rehabilitation Medicine at UW in December 2018. Prior to academia, Dr. Brown practiced for almost a decade as a licensed physical therapist, primarily in a hospital-based outpatient setting as a staff therapist and as clinic director.
Education and Training
- Postdoctoral fellowship: Pulmonary and Critical Care, Indiana University School of Medicine, IN
- PhD: Applied Physiology, Georgia Institute of Technology, GA
- Masters: Physical Therapy, University of Miami School of Medicine, FL Undergraduate:
- Exercise Science, Lenoir-Rhyne College, NC Licensed physical therapist
Notable Awards
- New Investigator Award- American College of Sports Medicine, 2016
- Cardiovascular & Pulmonary Research Award- Combined Sections Meeting of the American Physical Therapy Association, 2015
- ‘Emerging Excellence in Research’ - School of Health and Rehabilitation, 2014
Research Interests
The research focus of the Brown Lab for Optimization of Exercise as Therapy in Cardiopulmonary Disease is all about improving how exercise is used as medicine! Exercise is an underutilized therapy, in part because insufficient data is available to assist practitioners in its appropriate prescription for specific patient groups. Much of Dr. Brown’s research to date has been to address this gap specifically for patients with lung disease, including pulmonary arterial hypertension, pulmonary embolism, cystic fibrosis, and lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Her clinical and animal studies aim to define the physiological and biochemical consequences and functional outcomes following acute and chronic exercise in lung disease, to permit much needed optimization of exercise prescription for patients.
Dr. Brown’s research funding is from the National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute of the NIH, The American Heart Association Scientist Development Grant, The Pulmonary Hypertension Association, The American Thoracic Society, and The Lymphangioleiomyomatosis Foundation.
Research Areas
- Exercise interventions and functional measures for patients and rodent models
- Physiological responses to acute and chronic exercise in patients and in rodent models
- Exercise hemodynamics
- Mobile health exercise interventions