Rebecca T. Brown, MD, MPH
Associate Professor of Medicine (Geriatrics)
Senior Fellow, Leonard Davis Institute of Health Economics
Research Associate, Population Aging Research Center
Senior Fellow, Penn Center for Public Health
Vice Chief for Research, Division of Geriatric Medicine
Department: Medicine
Contact information
Ralston House
3615 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
3615 Chestnut Street
Philadelphia, PA 19104
Office: (215) 573-2021
Education:
AB (English)
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, 1999.
MD (Medicine)
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 2005.
MPH (Clinical Effectiveness)
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 2011.
Permanent linkAB (English)
Harvard College, Cambridge, MA, 1999.
MD (Medicine)
Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, 2005.
MPH (Clinical Effectiveness)
Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, MA, 2011.
Description of Clinical Expertise
As a geriatrician, Dr. Brown has expertise practicing in several clinical settings, including inpatient geriatrics consults and Acute Care for Elders units and outpatient primary care geriatrics. She currently practices primary care geriatrics at the Corporal Crescenz VA Medical Center in Philadelphia.Description of Research Expertise
The goal of Dr. Brown's research is to improve functional status and quality of life for socioeconomically vulnerable older adults. A substantial part of Dr. Brown's research has examined the epidemiology and outcomes of functional impairment and other geriatric conditions among vulnerable older populations. Her most recent work builds upon these epidemiologic findings to develop and test interventions to optimize function for vulnerable older adults in both clinic and community settings. She currently holds a K76 Beeson Advanced Career Development Award from the NIA focused on improving function and independence for older adults living in federally subsidized housing, as well as a VA Quality Enhancement Research Initiative (QUERI) grant focused on improving identification and management of functional impairment among older adults in primary care settings.Selected Publications
Bhat A, Ryskina KR, Xie D, Sha D, Brown RT: Housing Cost Burden and Functional Health in the Health and Retirement Study. Poster presentation at Population Association of America 2026 Annual Meeting, St. Louis, Missouri May 7 2026.Ashcraft LE, Peeples AD, Goodman O, Whiteside P, Mitchell C, Pelcher L, Werner RM, Long JA, Brown RT, Hall DE, Burke RE: Developing and testing a new retrospective tool to identify adaptations across 54 implementation efforts in the SAGE QUERI effectiveness-implementation hybrid type III trial. Poster presentation at 18th Annual Dissemination & Implementation Conference, Washington, D.C. Dec 15 2025.
Ashcraft LE, Hall D, Brown RT, Long JA, Werner RM, Peeples AD, Pelcher L, Warren CM, Goodman OK, Burke RE: Developing and testing a new retrospective tool to identify adaptations across 54 implementation efforts in the SAGE QUERI effectiveness implementation hybrid type III trial. Poster presentation at 18th Annual Dissemination & Implementation Conference, Washington, D.C. Dec 16 2025.
Warren C, Ashcraft LE, Peeples A, Goodman OK, Burke RE, Szanton S, Evelyn-Gustave A, Brown RT: Implementation of the CAPABLE-VA Program plus critical home repairs among older Veterans. Poster presentation at 18th Annual Dissemination & Implementation Conference, Washington, D.C. Dec 15 2025.
Britt K, Brown RT, Luo X, Huang B: Cognitive care planning for persons living with dementia and their care partners: challenges, needs, and questions. Symposium presentation at Gerontological Society of America 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts Nov 14 2025.
Hayek R, Springer S, Brown RT: Identifying early signs of aging: mobility and functional impairment in middle-aged adults. Symposium presentation at Gerontological Society of America 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts Nov 12 2025.
Ashcraft LE, Pelcher LR, Warren CM, Brown RT, Hall DE, Hall TD, Long JA, Piazza KM, Werner RM, Burke RE: Real-world quantification of implementation dose across twenty-five implementation instances Implementation Science Communications Nov 2025.
Hayek R, Brown RT, Gutman I, Baranes G, Springer S: Early detection of mobility decline: smartphone-based analysis of gait and stair negotiation. Symposium presentation at Gerontological Society of America 2025 Annual Scientific Meeting, Boston, Massachusetts Nov 13 2025.
Kim S, Jung H-Y, Lake D, Brown RT, Werner RM, Karlawish J, Ryskina K: Clinician specialization in skilled nursing facility practice and post-acute outcomes of patients with dementia. Health Serv Res Page: e70035. doi: 10.1111/1475-6773.70035, Aug 31 2025 Notes: e70035.
Zamora-Rogoski KA, Brown RT, Rizzo A, Nicosia FM: Measurement of functional status in primary care: the role of the interprofessional team. J Interprof Care Page: 1-9, Jul 2025 Notes: doi: 10.1080/13561820.2025.2537124.