Episode 38: Dr. Verena Brown and The Gut–Brain–Trauma Triangle: Nutrition, Stress, and Child Development

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Dr. Verena Brown, MD, FAAP, dipABLM, NBC-HWC, NASM-CNC, CSE is a trauma-informed Brazilian-American physician who is triple Board Certified in Lifestyle Medicine, Pediatrics, and Child Abuse Pediatrics. She is also a Health and Wellness Coach, certified through the National Board of National Health and Wellness Coaches, a National Association of Sports Medicine Certified Nutrition Coach, and an American Association of Sexuality Educators Counselors and Therapists Certified Sexuality Educator. She has a special interest in Culinary Medicine. Dr. Brown spends most of her time seeing pediatric patients, both in inpatient and outpatient settings, and educating fellows, residents, and medical students at a large academic center. She has been published in journals such as Pediatric Emergency Medicine and The Journal of Child Sexual Abuse. In July 2022, she was elected to the American Academy of Pediatrics Executive Committee of the Council on Child Abuse and Neglect, helping to write policies to advocate for children’s safety. In 2024, Dr. Brown became a recipient of the HEAL Scholarship (Health Equity Achieved through Lifestyle Medicine) and is currently co-creating a teaching kitchen program for teens in foster care with the local children’s hospital’s head chef. This program is in the works and will hopefully will launch soon!

As a Health and Wellness Coach and AASECT Certified Sexuality Educator, Dr. Brown is committed to helping adults to improve their emotional, physical, and sexual health through a holistic and trauma-informed lens, using tools from both Lifestyle and Culinary Medicine and mindfulness. This work came from the recognition of how Adverse Childhood Experiences, such as abuse and neglect, can contribute to detrimental health consequences in people's lives as they age. Her platform, Sentient Anatomy, is a safe space for this work to take place. Dr. Brown has been a podcast guest on podcasts such as Faith and Feminism, 360 Health with Dr. James Cooley, and Physician Coach Support. Since dancing is one of her favorite hobbies, Dr. Brown also enjoys teaching Zumba.