In this presentation, Dr. Aishia Brown will share lessons learned from a decade-long career in community-engaged scholarship, with a specific focus on her approach to integrating social justice youth development into prevention science and public health practice. This is the Prevention Research Center’s 6th Annual Lecture on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for Prevention Science and Practice.
About the Speaker
Aishia Brown is an Associate Professor at the University of Louisville’s School of Public Health and Information Sciences in the Department of Health Promotion and Behavioral Sciences. Dr. Brown holds a PhD in Recreation, Park, and Tourism Sciences with a specialization in Youth Development from Texas A&M University. She completed her postdoctoral work at the University of Louisville’s CDC-funded Center for Excellence on Youth Violence Prevention and Louisville Metro Government’s Department of Public Health and Wellness’ Center for Health Equity.
While in the role of Assistant Professor at University of Louisville, Dr. Brown also served as the Director of the Louisville Metro Government Office of Youth Development, where she led efforts to increase organizational and community capacity through legislation dedicated to increasing support for opportunity youth to access peer support, transportation, and job training. Dr. Brown also founded the Center for Social Justice Youth Development Research, where she built the infrastructure and capacity for local community-based organizations to adopt racial equity-centered policies and practices with a particular focus on the youth development ecosystem in Louisville. Dr. Brown’s research has been funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, United States Department of Agriculture, Humana Foundation, Louisville Metro Government, and several grassroots community-based organizations.
Dr. Brown identifies as a community-engaged researcher with an affinity for research-practice partnerships that honor the power of youth community organizing. She dedicates her work to achieving justice, liberation, and a future where a person’s identities do not predict how long or how well they live.
