Brown, Ellen
- Associate Professor, Graduate Nursing , Nicole Wertheim Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences

Overview
overview
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Dr. Ellen Brown is the Erica Wertheim Zohar Chair in Community Mental Health for the Nicole Wertheim College of Nursing and Health Sciences.
Dr. Brown’s long-standing program of research focuses on the emotional health and well-being of community-dwelling older adults; the mental welfare of those who provide their care; and support for the choice of older adults to age in place. She has received funding from the National Institute of Mental Health, Florida’s Agency for Health Care Research and Quality, and most recently, the National Institutes of Health.
In September 2020, The National Institute on Aging awarded $1.6 million to Dr. Brown, her FIU based research team, and researchers from the University of Alabama to design touch-screen technology to improve communication between dementia patients and their caregivers. The 5-year R01 project title is “Integration of Health Information Technology and Promotion of Personhood in Family-Centered Dementia Care.” The new interface will be customizable and grounded in evidence on Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and touchscreen-use by persons with dementia. The AAC will be developed to compensate for the persons’ communication deficits by using photographs, graphics and text to promote engagement of the person with dementia, promote personhood, and offer providers access to real-time, tracked behavioral trends that support early detection, intervention, and monitoring of community dwelling older adults. Dr. Nicole Ruggiano, Associate Professor at the University of Alabama is the Co-PI for this project. Full details about the clinical trial can be found here. (https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04571502)
The project builds on Dr. Brown’s and the team’s earlier work developing “Care Heroes,” a multi-function app designed to support caregivers and improve dementia care coordination including communication between healthcare providers and caregivers. Dr. Brown and her colleagues previously received a Florida State appropriation and federal funding (AHRQ R21 HS026571) to develop and test Care Heroes.
Dr. Brown’ scholarly work has been presented nationally and internationally and she is the author of more than 60 articles appearing in multiple high impact journals. Dr. Brown is an elected member of the American Academy of Nursing (AAN). The nursing intervention developed by Dr. Brown and colleagues, “Training in the Assessment of Depression” (TRIAD), established efficacious and effective, received national recognition from the AANs’ Raise the Voice Edge Runner Program. Dr. Brown is a founding editorial board member of the journal Research in Gerontological Nursing and an editorial board member of the Journal of Applied Gerontology.
She obtained her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Rhode Island, her Master in Nursing in Adult Health from Columbia University, a secondary Master of Science in Clinical Epidemiology from Cornell University, and her Doctorate of Education from Columbia University.
research interests
- Dementia; Older Adult Health; Gerontological Nursing; Aging Research; Depression in Older Adults
Scholarly & Creative Works
selected publications
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Article
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2021Integration of Health Information Technology and Promotion of Personhood in Family-Centered Dementia Care Intervention TrialFull Text via DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20210825-02 Web of Science: 000698679700002
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2019Smartphone-Based Health Technologies for Dementia Care: Opportunities, Challenges, and Current PracticesFull Text via DOI: 10.1177/0733464817723088 Web of Science: 000453101100004
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2019The Potential of Information Technology to Navigate Caregiving Systems: Perspectives from Dementia CaregiversFull Text via DOI: 10.1080/01634372.2018.1546786 Web of Science: 000496278000008
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2018The Caregiver Burden Alert: A Graphic Tool for Dementia Caregiver Burden Screening and ReferralFull Text via DOI: 10.1177/1084822317743476 Web of Science: 000438914200001
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2016CareHeroes Web and Android (TM) Apps for Dementia Caregivers A Feasibility StudyFull Text via DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20160229-02 Web of Science: 000393186900006
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2015Evidence-Based Practice Guideline Depression Detection in Older Adults With DementiaFull Text via DOI: 10.3928/00989134-20151015-03 Web of Science: 000367693200003
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2014Use of Adult Day Care Service Centers in an Ethnically Diverse Sample of Older AdultsFull Text via DOI: 10.1177/0733464812460431 Web of Science: 000331269700004
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2014Depression in Older Adults: Screening and ReferralFull Text via DOI: 10.1519/JPT.0b013e31828df26f Web of Science: 000338426600004
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2012Need and Potential Use of Information Technology for Case Manager-Physician Communication in Home CareFull Text via DOI: 10.1177/1084822312459615 Web of Science: 000442410900004
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2010An Intervention to Improve Nurse-Physician Communication in Depression CareFull Text via DOI: 10.1097/JGP.0b013e3181bf9efa Web of Science: 000278386000005
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2010Training Nursing Staff to Recognize Depression in Home HealthcareFull Text via DOI: 10.1111/j.1532-5415.2009.02626.x Web of Science: 000273311500018
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2009Detection of Depression in Older Adults with DementiaFull Text via DOI: 10.3928/00989134-20090201-08 Web of Science: 000263309800002
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2008Older home-care patients' preferred approaches to depression care - A pilot studyFull Text via DOI: 10.3928/00989134-20080801-06 Web of Science: 000258290600003
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2004Depression in elderly homecare patients: Patient versus informant reportsFull Text via DOI: 10.1017/S0033291704002582
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2004How Well Do Clinicians Recognize Depression in Home Care Patients?Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/00004045-200408000-00015
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2003Depression is more than just an OASIS item.Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/00004045-200309000-00018
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2003One-month stability of depression among elderly home-care patientsFull Text via DOI: 10.1097/00019442-200309000-00009
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2002Major depression in elderly home health care patientsFull Text via DOI: 10.1176/appi.ajp.159.8.1367
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2001Increasing recognition and referral of the depressed elderly.Full Text via DOI: 10.1097/00004045-200109000-00016
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Book Review
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2022Person-centered memory and communication interventions for dementia: A case study approach. Ed. 41.Full Text via DOI: 10.1177/07334648221076223 Web of Science: 000772835900001
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2020Namaste care for people living with advanced dementia: A practical guide for carers and professionals. Ed. 39.Full Text via DOI: 10.1177/0733464820923774 Web of Science: 000539879300015
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Conference
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2019THE ROLE OF EMPATHY IN CARING FOR PERSONS WITH DEMENTIA. S9-S9.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2019.01.146 Web of Science: 000461378800011
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2016
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2010Long Term Care Resource Use by Minority Seniors Living in the Community. S84-S85.Web of Science: 000289790800097
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2008INNOVATIVE APPROACHES TO PROVIDING MENTAL HEALTH SERVICES IN COMMUNITY-BASED SETTINGS. A18-A18.Web of Science: 000207905800018
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2003Religious practice and depression among geriatric home care patients. 71-83.Full Text via DOI: 10.2190/MUP1-DFB4-23KK-XPCF
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Letter
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2003Home care nursing and detection of depression [1] (multiple letters). 909-910.Full Text via DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.54.6.909
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Other Scholarly Work
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2013Mood and Behavioral Disturbance Observation Checklist : A Pilot Study. S146-S146.Full Text via DOI: 10.1016/j.jagp.2012.12.192 Web of Science: 000330358400162
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2011Thank You, CMS, for Your Leadership!. 78-79.Full Text via DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20110303-02 Web of Science: 000298276100001
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Preprint
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Review
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2020Interventions to Enhance Empathy and Person-Centered Care for Individuals With Dementia. 158-+.Full Text via DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20191028-01 Web of Science: 000535757900007
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2018Rural Dementia Caregivers and Technology What is the Evidence?. 216-+.Full Text via DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20180628-04 Web of Science: 000441830300007
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2003Recognition of depression among elderly recipients of home care services. 208-213.Full Text via DOI: 10.1176/appi.ps.54.2.208
Research
principal investigator on
- Integration of Health Information Technology and Promotion of Personhood in Family-Centered Dementia Care awarded by National Institute on Aging 2020 - 2025
- Examining the clinical workflow and outcomes of integrating health information technology awarded by Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality 2018 - 2022
- Miami Jewish Health and FIU Research Collaboration awarded by Miami Jewish Health Systems 2017 - 2021
- Examining the Clinical Workflow and Outcomes of Integrating Health Information Technology awarded by University of Alabama 2019 - 2020
- Expansion of Health Information Technology for Hispanic Dementia Caregivers awarded by Gerontological Society of America 2016 - 2017
- Miami Area Geriatric Education Centers (MAGEC) awarded by Health Resources & Services Administrati 2011 - 2015
- Detecting Depression in Persons in the Nursing Home awarded by Pfizer Inc. 2011 - 2012
- Geriatric Education Centers awarded by Health Resources & Services Administrati 2010 - 2011
- Effectiveness of a Depression Care Management Initiative in Home Healthcare. awarded by National Institute of Mental Health 2008 - 2010
co-principal investigator on
- Integration of Health Information Technology and Promotion of Personhood in Family-Centered Dementia Care awarded by National Institute on Aging 2020 - 2025
- Examining the clinical workflow and outcomes of integrating health information technology awarded by Agency for Healthcare Research & Quality 2018 - 2022
subproject principal investigator on
- Institute on Aging and Health Appropriation awarded by Florida Department of Health 2014 - 2015
investigator on
- Florida Registry for Aging Studies awarded by National Institute on Aging 2020 - 2023
Contact
full name
- Ellen Brown
Identifiers
ORCID iD
- https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2418-3257 (confirmed)
visualizations
publication subject areas
Citation index-derived subject areas the researcher has published in