Sandra C. Brown

Sandra C. Brown, DNS, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, ANEF, FAANP, FAAN
Dean and Professor
College of Nursing and Allied Health
Southern University and A&M College
Baton Rouge, LA
Dr. Sandra C. Brown, Dean of Southern University’s College of Nursing and Allied Health has achieved international prominence and has made enduring contributions to reduce minority health disparities and improve social welfare. The breadth of her work has spanned over two decades impacting the health outcomes of Louisiana citizens through her clinical research, practice, and academic leadership. She is nationally recognized for her exemplary work in promoting access to health care for the medically underserved and for her outstanding contributions during disaster recovery. Dr. Brown serves as an Ambassador for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Bureau of Health Professionals, National Health Service Corps, and is a National League of Nursing (NLN) Health Information Technology Scholar. She holds the highest international honors bestowed to a nurse which includes: Fellow status by the American Academy of Nursing, Fellow Status by the NLN in the Academy of Nursing Education, and Fellow status in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. Recognized for her scholarly contributions that have led to meaningful improvements in global healthcare, Dr. Brown has been inducted into the Louisiana Nurses Foundation Hall of Fame, The LSU Health Sciences Center, School of Nursing, Hall of Fame, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement Award by the National Black Nurses Association and was named as one of eight great Louisianians of the Year by the Louisiana Life Magazine.
In April 2020, Governor John Bel Edwards appointed Dr. Brown to serve as co-chair of the Louisiana COVID-19 Health Equity Task Force. In this role she led the efforts to address health inequities affecting communities that are most impacted by the coronavirus. The task force examined opportunities to provide greater access to high quality medical care and improve health outcomes. Its research ultimately resulted in the creation of a Dashboard on Health Equity which serves as a foundation and resource for addressing healthcare disparities in vulnerable populations, and contributes to the progression and improvement of Louisiana’s healthcare rankings.
Dr. Brown was the first African American graduate of the Doctor of Nursing Science program at Louisiana State University (LSU) Medical Center, N.O., LA in 1994. She earned a Master of Nursing degree from LSU Medical Center, N.O, LA in 1985 and a Bachelor of Science in Nursing degree from University of Southwestern LA, Lafayette, LA in 1981. She completed a post-doctoral research fellowship at Pennington Biomedical Research Center, Baton Rouge, LA in 2000 and a post-doctoral Family Nurse Practitioner Certificate Program at University of Tennessee, Memphis, TN in 1998. She is nationally certified as an academic nurse educator and is board certified as a Family Nurse Practitioner.
Dr. Brown was appointed Dean of the College of Nursing and Allied Health (CNAH) in 2019 and is the chief academic officer of 5 departments which offers 11-degree programs with a total enrollment of over 1200 students (900 undergraduate and 300 graduate students). The CNAH consists of the School of Nursing, Department of Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology, Department of Rehabilitation, Disability Studies, and Counseling, and the Department of Therapeutic Recreation and Leisure Studies.
Dr. Brown’s vision for the CNAH is that it will be a premier internationally recognized Health Science Center offering high demand degree programs and a leader in health disparities research transforming national and global health.