Path to Public Health Service: A Conversation with Dr. Sharyn Parks Brown

For so many, the field of public health is something that you find along the way. This was the case for Dr. Sharyn Parks Brown. Dr. Parks Brown is an epidemiologist in the Division of Reproductive Health and acting deputy branch chief at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta. Her journey hasn’t taken her where she expected but has led to a fulfilling career of service to others and to the community. 

An early affinity for science and math led Dr. Parks Brown to consider research as a possible career path. In her undergraduate years, she explored bench top cell biology and ecology/animal behavior. However, her interest quickly changed when, during a National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases biomedical research opportunity she attended a presentation on epidemiology. It was her first exposure to public health as a career and the type of research epidemiologists do.

“I returned from that program and immediately started looking into how I could get into the field,” she said. 

That’s when she found a list of accredited schools and colleges of public health, which included Saint Louis University (SLU) and the Master of Public Health Program.  The SLU MPH program was also attractive because of its devotion to addressing health disparities and strong support for students’ applied learning during the program.

Impactful Moments from SLU

Reflecting on her time at SLU, Dr. Parks Brown expressed gratitude for faculty and mentors who gave her the opportunity to work with them on research projects.

“I can only imagine how much faster and easier it would have been for my mentors to do things themselves…but they always took time to sit down and work with me, to review, provide feedback, reinstruct and repeat as many times as it took for me to get it right,” she said.

These hands-on research experiences helped Dr. Parks Brown learn epidemiological methods by analyzing big data from research projects and provided her with her first, first author papers before graduation.

Discovering the United States Public Health Service

Dr. Parks Brown discovered the United States Public Health Service (USPHS) while working with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at the CDC after receiving her MPH. Wondering why many people in the office wore uniforms, she learned that the USPHS is one of the now eight uniformed services in the United States. Under direction of the U.S. Surgeon General officers are fully deployable in support of domestic and international health missions. The prospect of being part of a uniformed service dedicated to domestic and international public health missions intrigued her.

With that dream in mind, as she neared completion of her PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology she applied for the CDC’s Epidemic Intelligence Service. This two-year, applied epidemiology postdoctoral program would provide additional specialized training as well as the option to enter as a civilian or USPHS officer. She began her term in the EIS one month after graduation.

Having been in the service for many years now, in addition to her duties as an epidemiologist, Dr. Parks Brown has completed short two-week deployments for major weather events (hurricanes, ice storms) and even longer deployments, lasting up to three months, for other public health emergencies such as toH1N1, e-cigarettes, lung injury response from vaping, and COVID-19.

Advice for Aspiring Public Health Professionals

Many MPH students and graduates have a passion for the work the CDC does and aspire to a career there. Dr. Parks Brown's advice for those interested in federal service is pragmatic. She encourages students and young professionals to talk to people working at the CDC and understand the unique dynamics of public health at the federal level. While recognizing that each sector (government, academia, private industry) has its pros and cons, she encourages professionals to explore and learn about multiple facets of public health practice.

Dr. Parks Brown’s experiences have taught her to view every opportunity as a learning experience. For example, the position she held with the National Center for Injury Prevention and Control at CDC didn’t exactly fit her aspirations at the time, but those experiences led to an interest in child maltreatment and intimate partner violence and later her PhD in Psychiatric Epidemiology. By taking a chance, she completely changed the trajectory of her career.  

 “Sometimes, twists and turns in your career journey that might not have followed the vision you had in mind can lead you to a rewarding destiny you had no idea was waiting for you,” she said.

Personal Insights

Beyond her professional journey, Dr. Parks Brown cherishes her time spent with family, enjoying outdoor activities with her husband and two kids. She finds balance in her love for music as a violinist for the Dekalb Symphony Orchestra. Dr. Parks Brown credits her mother for shaping her values, beliefs, and work ethic.

Dr. Parks Brown also lauds the power of mentorship in shaping her career and hopes to inspire others to become and seek out mentoring opportunities. 

“I learned so much from my mentors and love to reflect on the different gifts each of them has equipped me with along the way. As I advance in my career as a public health professional, I am learning that the process of mentoring can be just as profound, and it is an honor to pass along the wisdom of my mentors and what I’ve gained through my own experiences to help guide the next generation!”

College for Public Health and Social Justice

The Saint Louis University College for Public Health and Social Justice is the only academic unit of its kind, studying social, environmental and physical influences that together determine the health and well-being of people and communities. It also is the only accredited school or college of public health among nearly 250 Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States. Guided by a mission of social justice and focus on finding innovative and collaborative solutions for complex health problems, the college offers nationally recognized programs in public health and health administration.