Monthly Public Health Consultant Spotlight: Monique J. Brown, PhD, MPH

Each month, I will introduce you to a public health consultant or entrepreneur and they will share their path to self-employment and outline key pieces of advice for aspiring business owners.

Today we welcome Monique J. Brown, PhD, MPH from South Carolina!

1. Please share your educational background and business title/name.

PhD (Epidemiology) and MPH (Master of Public Health)

I am the President of Brown Research Consulting, Inc.

2. Tell us how you entered the field of public health and what your education and work experience was prior to consulting.

I first entered the field of public health as a senior in high school when we were asked to research any topic for our communication studies class.  I decided to assess the state of HIV/AIDS in Montego Bay, Jamaica at the time.  But truth be told, I didn’t know the term “public health” at that time.  Nevertheless, I continued doing public health research while I attended Bates College and assessed the governmental and non-governmental public health efforts geared towards HIV/AIDS in South Africa.  After college, I obtained my Master of Public Health degree at Brown University then worked for two years at the Boston Public Health Commission where I was part of a team researching public health issues affecting Boston residents.  After this experience, I pursued a PhD in Epidemiology at the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine then completed a postdoctoral fellowship in behavioral science at the University of South Florida.  After the postdoctoral fellowship, I was promoted to Research Assistant Professor.  It was during this time that I decided to start my consulting business. 

3. When did you start consulting and what were your motivations for pursuing self-employment?

I started my consulting business in July 2017.  I decided to start a business as I realized that I wanted to offer the skills that I learned over the years on a platform for individuals, non-profits and other organizations.

4. Who is your ideal client? What services do you offer?

My ideal client is someone who needs help with their research (study design, data analysis, and research dissemination) or grant-writing projects.

5. Do you have a particular product or service that you’d like to highlight? Tell us all about it!

Data Visualization!  If you have data but are not sure of the best way to present it for your audience, we can turn your data into the best graphical format to tell the story behind the data.

6. Many of our readers are considering a career as a self-employed public health consultant or entrepreneur. What is your best piece of advice for those considering or just starting out?

If you are considering a career as a self-employed public health consultant or entrepreneur, just do it!  Nothing tried, nothing done.  If you are just starting out, congratulations for taking that big step.  Now, don’t give up.  It might take some time to build your client base but with consistency in your work and marketing strategies, your client base will grow.

7. How can readers connect with you? Please share links to relevant websites and social media accounts:

Readers can connect with me on my Website, Blog, LinkedIn, Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter.