CEO of the Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health
BY MICHAEL WURSTHORN
The Arthur Ashe Institute for Urban Health (AAIUH) is at the forefront in the effort to educate people on racial, ethnic and gender differences in health. Dr. Ruth Browne, the chief executive officer of AAIUH, is instrumental in establishing and carrying out health care initiatives within New York City.
Browne, who joined the AAIUH in 1993, uses the experience she gained while serving on the staffs of former Mayor Ed Koch and former Governor Mario Cuomo to lead and implement community health programs. She created a model program that provides health education to diverse and economically disadvantaged communities. Browne’s health education focus rested on non-traditional settings such as beauty salons, barber shops, laundromats, tattoo and body piercing salons, libraries and places of worship so that the people within the community could teach their fellow residents. This model brought health education directly to people within the comfort of their own community.
“I grew up five blocks from where the Arthur Ashe Institute is. It’s very real for me, and it’s my way to give back [to the community],” said Browne, a native of Brooklyn.
Browne is the architect of the institute’s successful 15-year partnership with SUNY Downstate Medical Center and main examiner behind several National Institute of Health grants that educated and trained barbers to promote breast, prostate and cardiovascular health with their clients.
In addition to her duties as CEO of AAIUH, Browne serves on a number of boards and communities established to improve health and awareness. She is a member of the Board of Directors of the Center for Health Care Strategies, a nonprofit resource dedicated towards improving the quality of health care for low-income people.
Browne is also a member of the Brooklyn Borough President’s Task Force on Fiscal and Social Equity, and an active member of the National Coalition of 100 Black Women.
Browne has a doctorate from the School of Public Health at Harvard University and a Masters in Public Health and a Masters in Public Policy from the University of Michigan. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Princeton University.
The AAIUH receives most of its funding from the government, but they also rely on unrestricted funds provided by people. “These funds raised are used to seed and incubate those programs (health education),” said Browne.
The AAIUH’s main fundraiser is set to take place on April 24 at Chelsea Piers. The event will honor notable people such as Bryant Gumbel and Billie Jean King. More information can be found at www.arthurasheinstitute.org.
