Biography of Dr. Jim Brown

Dr. James W. Brown is currently an Associate Professor of Science at Ocean County College. His is the former Dean of Science, Engineering, Health Sciences and Human Performance at OCC. He worked to make the nursing program more accessible by helping to initiate the One Day per Week Nursing Program and was the principle investigator on a $458,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) Workforce Agenda Grant to develop an online education model to address shortages of RNs in the hospital setting. This program is now an outstanding success and has become a national model for other schools to follow.

He has worked hard to eliminate another barrier to students entering nursing, all science courses at OCC leading to entrance into the nursing program now have been placed completely online. Students from as far away as Alaska, Texas, California, Florida, Minnesota and even Japan are taking OCC’s online courses in Biology, Chemistry and Anatomy and Physiology I and II.

Awards

He has received numerous awards for innovative practices in health care, AIDS research, biosafety, public health, and for his pioneering work online instruction. Dr. Brown pioneered New Jersey City University’s first online courses and has been a developer/co-designer on over 40 online courses. Dr. Brown just received New Jersey’s highest award in public health, the Dennis J. Sullivan Award, for his lifetime achievement in Public Health (November 2007). He was designated as one of the Faces of Public Health in New Jersey. He received the 2003 Lloyd M. Felmly Award for outstanding contribution in the media to the cause of public health in New Jersey for his pioneering work in online courses in public health and health care.

He was the principle investigator on a $458,000 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s New Jersey Health Initiatives (NJHI) Workforce Agenda Grant to develop an online education model to address shortages of RNs in the hospital setting. He recently presented at American Association of Community Colleges Annual Symposium on April 24, 2006 in Long Beach California on “Creating New Jersey’s First Web-Assisted Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) Program” and at the American Public Health Association’s Annual Meeting on “New Strategies in New Jersey for dealing with the public health workforce shortage.

Developing Online Courses

Dr. Brown is a pioneer in creating online courses and has developed over 40 online courses in science, health sciences and public Health. He recently developed the first online course for continuing education at Ocean County College which was a huge success and has become a conduit for attracting individuals who could not otherwise attend training sessions in allied health and has recently completed a 40 Hour Bioterrorism and Emergency Preparedness Online Training Certificate Program for Rutgers University Office of Continuing Education. He has just developed BIOL 232 Mircobiology Online which will be a huge advantage not only to Ocean County students but to students nation-wide who wish to take a microbiology course offered completely online (lecture and laboratory).

Microbiology Experience

Dr. Brown is a former Assistant Commissioner of Health for the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services and currently the Chairman of the Board of the New Jersey Public Health Association and served on the governing council of the American Public Health Association. He served as Director of Microbiology, Health, Safety and Environmental Affairs at Hoffmann-La Roche’s biomedical laboratory division and as a vice-president of Celsis Laboratory Group. He was a former assistant dean at the College of Professional Studies at New Jersey City University and an Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine.

Early Life growing up in Beachwood with his Brother Tom "The Tracker"

Dr. Brown is a native of Ocean County. He grew up in Beachwood NJ and developed a strong love for nature largely influenced by his older brother the famous "Tracker" Tom Brown whose life was chronicled in the best selling book, The Tracker - The Story of Tom Brown Jr. “Tom, his friend Rick and Rick’s grandfather, Stalking Wolf (a native American and an expert in the Wilderness) were a huge influence on me and helped develop my love for nature. I use many of these experiences to enrich my teaching of biology and microbiology. Tom’s incredible abilities for teaching nature observation, pointing out minute details and relating them to plant or animal anatomy, physiology and ecological relationships strongly influenced my teaching style especially using the laboratory, and real life experiences, to reinforce learning in the classroom.” Dr. Brown became Beachwood’s second Eagle Scout and went on to become a scoutmaster and commissioner for the Boy Scouts of America.

Education

Dr. Brown received a B.A. from Rutgers College and an M.S. and Ph.D. in Microbiology from the Waksman Institute of Microbiology at Rutgers University. He earned an additional Masters of Science in Health Sciences from Jersey City State College. He taught biosafety at the Johns Hopkins Medical School and Microbiology at the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine. Dr. Brown is also a Past President of the New Jersey Public Health Association, and is an international speaker on issues in public health, health care, online education and biosafety.

International Speaker

In 1990, Dr. Brown was invited to speak in Beijing, China, before the Chinese Medical Association on biosafety and in Mumbai (Bombay), India, he delivered the Keynote address at the HOPE 92 World Conference on AIDS and Drug Awareness. In 1997, he was invited to speak on Emerging Pathogens at Cambridge University, England. Dr. Brown has received the National John C. Lang Award from the American Society for Medical Technology, the National Marconi Scholar Award, the Ten Most Outstanding Citizens of New Jersey Award from the NJ State Jaycees, as well as citations from the US Senate and House of Representatives as well as both houses of the New Jersey Legislature.