Jack A. Brown

Professional Background

Jack Brown is a Research Instructor in the Department of Population Health at the University of Kansas School of Medicine-Wichita. Mr. Brown received his Master of Urban Affairs (Public Administration concentration) from from the Hugo Wall School of Public and Urban Affairs at Wichita State University. He is also a graduate of the University of Southern California's Environmental Management Institute. He was one of the first cohort of environmental health professionals in Kansas to become a registered sanitarian in the field of environmental health, which was established through the Kansas Joint Committee on the Credentialing of Sanitarians. He has 34 years of experience in the field of public health. During his tenure he served for 16 years as the Environmental Health Director and as the interim Director of the Wichita-Sedgwick County Department of Community Health. As director of the largest local Department of Environmental Health in the State of Kansas he established and administered local environmental programs in water quality, pollution prevention, environmental remediation, food protection, emergency response and other local environmental programs and projects. He has established and served on numerous committees such as the, Arkansas River Advisory Committee, Air Quality Improvement Task Force, Oxy-Chem Citizen's Involvement Group. Mr. Brown was the project manager of one of the nation's most innovative environmental projects, which addressed the public health and environmental risks associated with ground water contamination in a 4 square mile area in Wichita, Kansas. The project resulted in the construction and establishment of the WATER Center in Wichita which serves as an environmental education and ground water cleanup for the community. The project has received state and national recognition by Harvard University's Kennedy School of Government, the National Academy of Environmental Engineers, and National Association of Environmental Consultants. Mr. Brown lead the Arkansas River study examining the river's bacterial contamination levels and water quality which lead in part to the development of an advisory system to inform the public about the health implication relating to water conditions in the river and a plan to improve Arkansas River water quality in the future.

Mr. Brown has been active in the Department from its inception and has taught the MPH Environmental Health course (PVRM 830) since the beginning of the MPH program. In addition, he was involved in the development and teaching of the web version of the Environmental Health course and is a member of the MPH Admissions Committee.

• BA, Friends Univ.
• MPA, Wichita State Univ.

Research

Overview

Mr. Brown has been involved in community-based research with a focus on improving the health of populations. He has used community-based methods address environmental and public issues. His expertise and research interests are in the areas of environmental remediation, air and water monitoring, environmental investigations and environmental risk assessment. He has received grants focusing on environmental prevention strategies and policy development. These grants
involved engaging impacted communities impacted by groundwater contamination, an assessment of community environmental concerns, policy development and environmental public health recommendations to to address nonpublic household water well supplies. These grants were awarded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, Kansas Health Foundation, and other organizations.