Meet Dr. Joseph Brown, MD, FACEP
Recipient of the ACEP National Emergency Medicine Junior Faculty Teaching Award
Written by Anna Engeln, MD, FACEP
Dr. Joseph Brown, originally from Chicago, IL, completed medical school at Northwestern, where he met his wife, Dr. Kelly Brown, in the second week of medical school. After medical school, they headed west to University of California-San Diego for his residency in Emergency Medicine, then to University of California-San Francisco for Ultrasound fellowship followed by the ACEP Teaching Fellowship during his first year as faculty. Following fellowship, Dr. Brown accepted his first attending position at UCSF working at San Francisco General as the airway director and teaching ultrasound. This was followed by a brief stent at Medical College of Wisconsin where he was the first Director of Faculty Education. In 2021, Dr. Brown settled in Colorado at University of Colorado Hospital.
His passion lies in Ultrasound Guided Nerve Blocks (UGNB). Dr. Brown shares his love and knowledge of ultrasound and nerve blocks teaching at the local, state, and national levels. He was the primary author for the ACEP Policy Statement on Ultrasound Guided Nerve Blocks in the Emergency Department. We have been lucky to have Dr. Brown join CO ACEP at our annual CME conference since its founding in 2022 (along with his Bernese Mountain Dog – Kona) and are excited to welcome him back again at CO ACEP’s 4th annual CME event at Beaver Creek November 7th for an entire afternoon of hand-on ultrasound skills. Dr. Brown has received numerous teaching awards for his excellence in bedside teaching and clinical skill. Dr. Brown was just announced as a well deserving recipient of the ACEP National Emergency Medicine Junior Faculty Teaching Award. This coveted award is presented to an outstanding educator who demonstrates superior clinical teaching- which Dr. Brown has consistently demonstrated throughout his career.
Given Dr. Joseph Brown’s inspiring career and advancement of the practice of Emergency Medicine, CO ACEP wanted to take this opportunity to get to know him better through a member spotlight.
Q: Where do you currently practice?
Dr. Brown is currently an Assistant Professor of Emergency Medicine practicing at the University of Colorado Hospital where he serves as the Education Director for Point of Care Ultrasound. In addition, he is also one of the four Associate Program Directors for the Denver Health Emergency Medicine Residency.
Q: Why did you choose Emergency Medicine?
I was always interested in hands-on care and procedures which made Emergency Medicine a great match for me. Furthermore, I am drawn to the breadth of knowledge required to practice emergency medicine. I love having to know something about everything as you never know what might be coming through the door. That was what initially brought me to Emergency Medicine. Now, what resonates with me most is that we are the true safety net for those who have been overlooked and/or marginalized by our society. Knowing that we provide a place our patients can always come for care keeps me coming back.
Q: How do you approach teaching in the emergency department?
While it is an aging example, I like to model my educational philosophy to driving a stick-shift. In the initial stages of training, I am sitting in the front seat helping to guide decisions and demonstrating the friction point with my hands. Then, as residents start to gain confidence and skill, I move to the backseat and let drive more independently. Finally, I push my senior residents by taking them to the climb up the proverbial Eisenhower Tunnel, where I expect them to take charge in even the most challenging situations. Throughout the entire experience, I am always there supporting them to “drive” in any condition…with my hand on the parking brake if needed.
Q: Why did you choose to practice where you do?
It is hard to find the right fit for two physicians, and I never thought that we would have the opportunity to practice in Colorado. Luckily, the stars aligned, and we got the opportunity to move to Colorado, drawn to the active outdoor lifestyle and our dream jobs. I joined the University of Colorado with an opportunity to build the nerve block program and continue my love of teaching. My wife, Dr. Kelly Brown, is a urologist specializing in male infertility and after working with a start-up she has transitioned to Colorado Urology.
Q: Why ultrasound?
From the first days of my fellowship, I have always loved the Ultrasound as a medium for teaching. It is hands-on and catches the eye of both learners and patients and allows you to teach and demonstrate things in real time like no other imaging modality. Ultrasound provides an opportunity to teach at all levels and advance care for our patients. But, within the field, nerve blocks have always been my passion. I have loved building the nerve block program at University of Colorado. Being able to provide effective, non-opioid pain control is extremely important and impactful for our patients, especially as we all work to combat the opioid epidemic. I have also enjoyed collaborating with other departments both at the University and throughout Colorado, sometimes with education and at other times by sharing clinical pathways and Epic builds to help facilitate blocks happening safely and more efficiently. Finally, my work with ultrasound has lent itself to lots of teaching opportunities with the Denver Health Emergency Medicine Residency and ultimately to my current position as an Associate Program Director with the Residency.
Q:What do you love about teaching?
Since residency, I have always gravitated towards academic Emergency Medicine. Whether in ultrasound or airway education, I love teaching and working with our residents. Shortly after starting at University of Colorado, I reached out to Dr. Kaplan (former program director for the Denver Health residency) to see how I could get involved. Throughout the past 6 years, something else that has stood out to me is the role of mentorship. I truly value the relationships I have with my own mentors, and I make a deliberate point at national meetings and other gatherings to catch up with the people that have really influenced my career such as my residency family from UCSD as well as Drs. Arun Nagdev and Chris Colwell. One of the coolest things about continuing to grow and mature as an educator myself has been to try and offer that same mentorship to the people coming after me. It is also something that I have valued most about working with Dr. Gannon Sungar (current Program Director for the Denver Health Residency) and stepping into my new role as an Associate Program Director.
Q:Hobbies outside of medicine?
I am drawn to the outdoors and love skiing, backpacking, running and biking. Currently, I am focused on keeping up with my kids Walker (age 4) and Everett (age 1), thus am frequenting the zoo and museum. I also love to travel with my family and enjoy live music (with Mission Ballroom and the incredible Red Rocks being two of our favorite date nights out).
Q:Favorite place to visit in Colorado and why?
Locally: City Park- it has everything, I run there regularly, and enjoy the farmer’s market, jazz in the park, museum, and zoo with my family.
Telluride: Anyone who has been there knows it’s a very special place. Not only is it gorgeous but is an extra special place for our family. We snuck away shortly after my son Everett was born, then returned a year later to see him take his first steps. It is our family’s special place that keeps pulling us back.
Q:What issues would you like to see CO ACEP address this year?
As we navigate the changing landscape with loss of coverage/Medicaid reimbursement, we need to work to protect the safety net access for our patients. Decisions made in legislature impacts the ability for us to care for our patients; thus, it is important for CO ACEP to be a voice for the emergency physician experience at the Capitol.
