Ohio University College of Health Sciences and Professions (CHSP) Assistant Clinical Professor Dr. Jennifaye Brown has been selected to join the next national cohort of the Education Leadership Institute (ELI) Fellowship under the American Physical Therapy Association.
Brown, a PhD-trained and neurologic clinical specialist, is part of CHSP’s Division of Physical Therapy; she is also the chair of CHSP’s Diversity and Inclusion Committee.
The ELI Fellowship blends online and onsite learning to develop “innovative and influential leaders in physical therapy education who can function within a changing politico-sociocultural environment,” according to the program website.
“Jennifaye Brown has assumed a key leadership role in the College of Health Sciences and Professions in heading up our Diversity and Inclusion Committee,” said CHSP Dean Randy Leite. “Participating in the Education Leadership Institute will allow her to explore new dimensions of leadership that will enhance her service to our college.”
“The ELI Fellowship is a wonderful opportunity for Dr. Brown to continue to explore her leadership abilities and continue to make a difference in diversity and inclusion at Ohio University,” OHIO Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion Gigi Secuban said.
Brown said she is eager to become part of the next ELI Fellowship cohort in July. The cohort is comprised of 18 diverse individuals from across the country.
“I think this fellowship is really important in providing me with social networks where I can learn from other people and then practice how to influence other people by expressing my ideas,” Brown said. “I’m looking forward to being with other physical therapists in academia from other parts of the country and learning how their programs operate in the milieu of higher education across the country to see what I can bring back here.”
Brown said she started to contemplate taking on more leadership roles when she volunteered to chair the Diversity and Inclusion Committee. She was also eager to learn more about how to collaborate and build upon interprofessional practices — a target goal in the ELI Fellowship.
“I believe this program will help me improve my classroom atmosphere by helping me manage students and better administer protocols for learning,” Brown said.
CHSP Associate Professor and Physical Therapy Program Director Betty Sindelar, a friend and colleague to Brown, provided a letter of recommendation that was included as part of Brown’s Fellowship application.
“The ELI program is an excellent opportunity for Jennifaye. It will provide great networking and mentoring on leadership in the academic world,” Sindelar said. “For our profession, we have so little representation in the higher levels of academia by women and members of physical therapy. I can envision Jennifaye’s strong interest in diversity and inclusion combined with this fellowship will open doors for her in some of the top levels of university administration. Our whole faculty is delighted for her as she moves forward.”
Additional goals for the program include implementing and influencing changes within the culture of higher education, raising the influence and visibility of physical therapy and creating strategic and creative action for solutions in higher education in response to the changing culture of healthcare.