Faculty Profile

Biography

Bonnie Brown, Ph.D. is an applied behavioral health researcher with experience in public education, child and family studies, public and population health studies, and substance abuse. Her research and evaluation studies focus on behavioral health strategies for those struggling with mental illness and community-based interventions that support vulnerable populations. Most recently, Dr. Brown has focused on the community-based service and interventions aimed at supporting children and their families impacted by the opioid use epidemic, particularly those involved in the child welfare system of Florida. She is an experience professor and has been teaching at the University level since 2011. Dr. Brown is also a trainer in mental health and is passionate about raising awareness and reducing stigma around mental health issues.

Dr. Brown is currently a research professor and evaluator for the Louis de la Parte, Florida Mental Health Institute at the University of South Florida. She has previously been the lead epidemiologist for the Manatee County Substance Abuse Prevention Collation and conducted research for federally supported grants focused on reducing substance use in disparate populations. Additionally, she is a native of the Suncoast area in Florida, and was previously a public-school educator, she is invested in her community, and dedicated to working to improve the lives and wellbeing of its citizens, particularly children and individuals with foster care experience.