Asia Brown, MA

Asia Brown

Undergraduate School
University of South Carolina

Graduate School
University of South Carolina

 

 

Interests & Career Goals

While my graduate training has been at the intersection of health and clinical-community psychology, I am primarily interested in the treatment of psychological problems through process-oriented approaches that utilize functional-contextual frameworks to reduce suffering and improve quality of life, especially among historically underserved populations. My research has complemented these clinical approaches by investigating the relationship between flexible coping, affect, and health behaviors. I aim to have a career as a clinical psychologist working within an integrated care setting that serves patients with complex mental health concerns.

Favorite Pastimes

In my free time, you can find me doing yoga, reading, trying new cuisines, and spending time outdoors with my fiancé and our 2 wonderful rescue pups.

Why I Chose Duke

Duke stood out to me because of the opportunities to continue my training in multidisciplinary integrated care settings and to deepen my training in treating complex psychological problems through full-model Dialectical Behavioral Therapy as well as other cognitive-behavioral therapies.

Research Interests

My research has primarily been in the area of health psychology. Informed by biopsychosocial and ecological models of health and human behavior, my research strives to untangle the relationships between stress-coping and health behaviors. I utilize community participatory approaches and ecological momentary assessment to better understand the processes by which stress-appraisal influences coping methods, and how the match between stressor and coping method influence health behaviors and affect in the context of participants’ every day lives.

Publications

  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K.. Sweeney, A.M., van Horn, M.L., Zarrett, N., & Pate, R. (2022).  Buffering Effects of Intrapersonal and Ecological Factors on Light and Moderate to Vigorous Physical Activity Among African American Women. Journal of Behavioral Medicine. DOI: 10.1007/s10865-022-00360-z
  • Sweeney, A., Wilson, D.K., Van Horn, L., Zarrett, N., Resnicow, K., Brown, A., & Quattlebaum, M. (2022). Results from ‘Developing Real Incentives and Volition for Exercise’ (DRIVE): A Proof-of-Concept Trial. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 
  • Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., Van Horn, M.L., Kitzman-Ulrich, H., Law, L.H., Loncar, H., Kipp, C., Brown, A., Quattlebaum, M., McDaniel, T., St. George, S., Prinz, R. & Resnicow, K. (2022). The Results of the Families Improving Together (FIT) for Weight Loss Trial in African American Adolescents. Annals of Behavioral Medicine.
  • Sweeney, A. M., Wilson, D. K., Zarrett, N., Brown, A., Quattlebaum, M., Gorman, B., & Loncar, H. (2021). Evaluating Experiences of Stress and Coping Among African American Women During the COVID-19 Pandemic to Inform Future Interventions. Health Education & Behavior, 48(6), 739-746.
  • Quattlebaum, M., Kipp, C., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., Loncar, H., Brown, A., Levine, S., & Zarrett, N. (2021). A Qualitative Study of Stress and Coping to Inform the LEADS Health Promotion Trial for Overweight African American Adolescents. Nutrients, 13(7), 2247.
  • Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., Quattlebaum, M., Loncar, H., Kipp, C., & Brown, A. (2021). The Moderating Effects of the Families Improving Together (FIT) for Weight Loss Intervention and Parenting Factors on Family Mealtime in Overweight and Obese African American Adolescents. Nutrients, 13(6), 1745. https://doi.org/ 10.3390/nu13061745.
  • Clennin, M., Brown, A., Lian, M., Dowda, M., McIver, K., Colabianchi, N., Pate, R.R. (2020). Associations between neighborhood socioeconomic deprivation, weight-related outcomes, physical activity, and diet quality in youth. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17176421. 
  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A, & Van Horn, L. (2020). The Moderating Effects of Social Support and Stress on Physical Activity in African American Women. Annals of Behavioral Medicine. DOI: 10.1093/abm/kaaa051.
  • Sweeney, A. M., Wilson, D. K., & Brown, A. (2019). A qualitative study to examine how differences in motivation can inform the development of targeted physical activity interventions for African American women. Evaluation and program planning, 77, 101718.
  • Sweeney, A., Wilson, D.K., Loncar, H., Brown, A. (2019). Secondary Benefits of the Families Improving Together (FIT) for Weight Loss Trial on Cognitive and Social Factors in African American Adolescents. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity. 16(1) 47-58. 

Manuscripts Under Review

  • Kipp, C., Wilson, D.K., Brown, A., Quattlebaum, M., Loncar, H., Sweeney, A.M., & Abshire, D.A. Compounding Effects of Stress on Health and Wellbeing among African American Parents: A Qualitative Study to Inform the LEADS Health Promotion Trial. Social Science & Medicine. Under review. 

Manuscripts in Progress

  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K., Zarrett, N., & Pate, R. A Systematic Review of the Influence of Stress-related Risk and Physical Activity on Blood Pressure-Related Outcomes. In progress. 
  • Kipp, C., Brown, A., Quattlebaum, M., & Wilson, D.K. A Qualitative Study of Stress and Coping Among African American Caregivers to Inform Health Promotion Interventions. In progress. 
  • Sweeney, A.M., Wilson, D.K., Levine, S., Brown, A., Gorman, B. & Zarrett, N. The Use of Collaboration and Competition for Promoting Physical Activity and Weight Loss among African American Women: A Systematic Review. In progress. 

Poster Presentations

  • Brown, A. & Wilson, D.K. (April 2023). A Systematic Review of the Influence of Stress-Related Risk & Buffering Effects of Physical Activity on Blood Pressure Outcomes. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Phoenix, AZ. 
  • Hood, M., Brown, A., White,T., Yang C.H., & Wilson, D.K. (April 2023). A Qualitative Study of Stressors Impacting Physical Activity Among African American Women. Discover USC, Columbia, SC. 
  • White, T., Quattlebaum, M., Kipp, C., Brown, A. & Wilson, D.K. (April 2023).  A Qualitative Study of the Compounding Effects of Stress on Health Among African American Parents. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Phoenix, AZ. 
  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., & Zarrett, N. (April 2022). Stress-Buffering Effects of Self-efficacy on Light Physical Activity Among African American Women. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MD. 
  • Levine, S., Wilson, D.K., Quattlebaum, M., Kipp, C.J., Sweeney, A.M., Loncer, H., & Brown, A. (April 2022). A Qualitative Study of Stress and Coping to Inform the LEADS Health Promotion Trial for African American Adolescents with Overweight and Obesity. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MD. 
  • Loncar, H., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A.M., Quattlebaum, M., & Brown., A. (April 2022). Moderating Effects of the FIT Weight Loss Intervention and Parenting Factors on Family Mealtime In African American Adolescents. Society of Behavioral Medicine, Baltimore, MD. 
  • Hood, M., Brown, A., & Wilson, D.K. (April 2022). Expanding Understanding of Stress and Coping Among African American Women at Risk for Chronic Disease: A Mixed Methods Approach. Discover UofSC, Columbia, SC. 
  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., van Horn, L., & Zarrett, N. (April 2021). Longitudinal Effects of Buffering Resources on Moderate-to-vigorous Physical Activity Among African American Women. Society of Behavioral Medicine, virtual conference. 
  • Sweeney, A.M., Wilson, D.K., van Horn, L.M., Zarrett, N. & Brown, A. (April 2021)  Evaluating Approaches for Building a Supportive Social Climate and Empowering African American Women to be Agents of Change: Results from the DRIVE trial. Society of Behavioral Medicine, virtual conference. 
  • Williams, S., Brown, A., & Wilson, D.K. (April 2021). Examining the Profiles of Stress and Socioeconomic Factors on Physical Activity and Body Mass Index in African American Women in the FIT Trial. Discover UofSC, Columbia, SC. 
  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K. & Sweeney, A. (April 2020). Moderating Effects of Social Support and Stress on Physical Activity in African American Women. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, San Francisco, CA. 
  • Kipp, C., Richardson, M., Sweeney, A., Brown, A., & Wilson, D.K. (April 2020). Interaction between Self-Efficacy and Perceived Neighborhood Safety on Body Mass Index in African American Adults. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, San Francisco, CA. 
  • Brown, A., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., & Law, L. (March 2019). Associations Between Perceived Stress, Motivation, and Self-Efficacy in Predicting Physical Activity in African-Americans Adults. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, Washington, DC.
  • Kipp, C., Law, L., Wilson, D.K., Sweeney, A., Brown, A., Hoover, M. (April 2018). Parental Communication and Parental Stress as Predictors of Physical Activity in Overweight African American Adolescents. The Society of Behavioral Medicine, New Orleans, LA.
  • Ford, K., Loncar, H., Huffman, L.E., Brown, A., Dreyer, K., & Wilson, D.K. (April, 2017). Associations between adolescent depression, body mass index, and parent body mass in the Families Improving Together (FIT) randomized controlled trial. Discover UofSC, Columbia, SC.