Sabrina Brown , DrPH, MPH

Principal Investigator, Kentucky Violent Death Reporting System, KIPRC CORE Director, Intentional Injuries

Dr. Sabrina Brown is an associate professor in the Department of Epidemiology and a faculty associate and researcher at the Kentucky Injury and Prevention Research Center (KIPRC), within the College of Public Health. She is also the director for intentional injuries for the KIPRC (a bona fide agent for the Kentucky Department for Public Health).

By garnering support from agencies housing critical data elements, and additional support from federal, state and local agencies, Dr. Brown developed the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention funded Kentucky Violent Death Reporting System, and has served as principal investigator since 2004. The KYVDRS is part of the National Violent Death Reporting System (NVDRS), which is a system to combine data from across the country to shed light on the circumstances surrounding homicides and suicides. Her primary research interests have focused on violence prevention, including suicide, homicide, alcohol and drug related death, infant and child death, developing statewide surveillance and reporting systems, and system evaluation. Recognized as a leader in this field, Dr. Brown regularly attends U.S. Capitol Hill Briefings and Kentucky State Hill Briefings.

Dr. Brown has a media and public relations background which have proven invaluable to the project in establishing and building relationships necessary to secure data through Memorandums of Understandings and in the dissemination of KYVDRS information for prevention activities. Dr. Brown has presented KYVDRS findings locally, regionally, nationally and internationally.  She has also given webinars, shared products and made national presentations to help unfunded or newly funded states submit successful applications to become part of the NVDRS.