Rate My Professor Ellen Brown

Dr. Ellen Brown serves as a tenured Professor and the Erica Wertheim Zohar Endowed Chair in Community Mental Health within the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences at Florida International University. She holds an EdD, MS, is a registered nurse (RN), and is a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). Her long-standing research program focuses on the emotional health and well-being of community-dwelling older adults, the mental welfare of caregivers, and support for aging in place through innovative technologies. Dr. Brown has secured significant funding, including a $1.6 million R01 grant from the National Institute on Aging in 2020 for 'Integration of Health Information Technology and Promotion of Personhood in Family-Centered Dementia Care,' building on prior work with an AHRQ R21 grant (HS026571) to develop the Care Heroes app for dementia caregivers. She previously received support from the National Institute of Mental Health and Florida’s Agency for Health Care Administration.

Dr. Brown is the author or co-author of more than 60 peer-reviewed articles in high-impact journals. Key publications include 'Major depression in elderly home health care patients' (American Journal of Psychiatry, 2002), 'Recognition of depression among elderly recipients of home care services' (Psychiatric Services, 2003), 'Smartphone-based health technologies for dementia care: opportunities, challenges, and current practices' (Journal of Applied Gerontology, 2019), 'Chatbots to support people with dementia and their caregivers: systematic review of functions and quality' (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2021), and 'ChatGPT vs Google for queries related to dementia and other cognitive decline: comparison of results' (Journal of Medical Internet Research, 2023). Her nursing intervention 'Training in the Assessment of Depression' (TRIAD) earned national recognition from the American Academy of Nursing's Raise the Voice Edge Runner Program. Additional honors include the Wallace Gilroy Endowed Faculty Scholar award and the Faculty Senate Award for Excellence in Research and Creative Activities. Dr. Brown serves as a founding editorial board member of Research in Gerontological Nursing and an editorial board member of the Journal of Applied Gerontology. Her scholarly work has been presented nationally and internationally, advancing mental health services for older adults and dementia care coordination.