Ep 37: Dr. Jerry Brown, TIME Magazine Person of the Year, Ebola Response, Global Health, and Aid Donors

Dr. Jerry Brown, TIME Person of the Year, joins Mike Shanley to discuss Dr. Brown's work during the Ebola crisis, COVID-19 response and lessons learned for global pandemic preparedness, becoming TIME Person of the Year, and the role of international aid donors and implementing partners.

Co-host: Care Africa Medical Foundation (CAMF) focuses on building clinics in rural Liberia, starting with their hometown of Buchanan in Grand Bassa County, where they have organized free health fairs to provide essential health resources. In addition to their nonprofit efforts, Henry and Gormah run successful businesses that cater to the aging population and assist the homeless in Colorado, creating over 60 local jobs. CAMF plans to open its first medical center in Grand Bassa County in the spring of 2025, addressing urgent healthcare needs. However, the lack of reliable electricity poses a significant challenge to operating medical equipment. As a registered 501(C)(3) organization, CAMF aims to make a lasting impact on healthcare in Africa and inspire others with its dedication to health and community service.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/care-africa-medical-foundation-536206336/

https://www.camedfoundation.org/about/

Biography

Jerry Fahnloe Brown was born on October 18, 1968. Dr. Brown has worked in several capacities as physician. He worked as Escort Doctor for MERCI on boats repatriating Sierra Leonean Refugees back to Sierra Leone. He then worked as the County Health Officer for Grand Bassa County and Medical Director for the Buchanan Government Hospital from 2006 to 2008 after working as a Volunteer Physician at the ELWA Hospital and General Practitioner from 2004 to 2006. In March 2014 he was employed as Medical Director and General Surgeon at the ELWA Hospital a position he held until February 2018 when he was appointed by the President of Liberia to serve as the Chief Medical Officer of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, the premier teaching and referral hospital. During those years at ELWA, he worked tirelessly performing varieties of surgeries in this low resource setting. He became Clinical Supervisor and Clinician at the ELWA II Ebola Treatment Unit from July 2014 to June 2015. Under his leadership and guidance this unit produced the highest number of Ebola survivors changing the survival rate from ten percent to seventy percent of Ebola Patients at his Center.

From October 2014 to December 2016, he served as Principal Investigator on two research projects with the Clinical Research Management on convalescent plasma and the sequelae of Ebola in survivors. In 2018, he was appointed by the President of Liberia as the Chief Executive Officer of the John F. Kennedy Medical Center, the premier referral hospital in Liberia, a position held until January 30, 2024, due to the political transition of power. While at JFKMC, he established the only active functional Intensive Care Unit in country with support from partners such as Project Cure International and NOCAL. Under his leadership JFKMC, obtained accreditation for training specialists in the areas of pediatrics, internal medicine, general surgery, ophthalmology and psychiatric. He also established the only histopathology unit; a state of the art executive private ward; a dialysis center among others. On May 23, 2019, he was elected Civilian Representative and Advisor to APORA. He also serves as Acting Faculty Head, Department of Surgery, A. M. Dogliotti College of Medicine for two years, and is currently a Part-Time Faculty member, in the Department of Surgery, Liberia College of Physician and Surgeon.

In March 2020, he was appointed by the president of Liberia to serve as the Head of the National Case Management Pillar of COVID-19. He coordinated the management of COVID-19 patients across the country and the care of patients with COVID-19 vaccine related complications. He supervised the drafting of Liberia COVID-19 Clinical Guidelines. Dr. Brown has received many honors to include, Time Person of the Year in 2014; among Time 100 Most Influential Persons, 2014; Civil Servant of the Year, 2014, Republic of Liberia; President of Liberia Highest Honor, Star of Africa in 2015; Golden Key Awards, 2018; He has spoken as several places to include Keynote Speaker, PICC 2016, 8th World Congress on Pediatric Intensive and Critical Care, Toronto Canada, June 2016; keynote Speaker, Case Western University, Ohio, October 2015; Keynote Speaker, Risky Business Conference, London, UK, May 2017; Speaker, American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, (ASTMH) 64TH Annual Meeting, ASTMH Ebola 360 symposium, October 2015; Pepperdine University, Dean Honorary Speaker—Leadership June 2017. 

 

Thank you for tuning into this episode of the Aid Market Podcast. Learn more about working with USAID by visiting our homepage: Konektid International and AidKonekt. To connect with our team, message the host Mike Shanley on LinkedIn