Dr. Daniel E. Brown
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Professor of Anthropology (Emeritus)
Dr. Daniel E Brown
Background: I received a Bachelor's degree in Biology from Brown University, but got sidetracked in my junior year by an anthropology course taught by James Deetz. I caught the anthropology "bug" and focused my studies on biological anthropology in graduate school, receiving degrees (M.A. and Ph.D.) from Cornell University . My research interests are in how humans adapt to stress, whether of the physical variety (heat, cold, high altitude hypoxia) or, particularly, of the psychosocial variety. I also study ethnic disparities in health, with a special focus on ethnic disparities in type 2 diabetes and hypertension risk in Hawaiʻi. My research has been done in Hawaiʻi, both on Oʻahu and the Big Island.
Current research: My current research has focused on the simultaneous use of ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and stress hormone analysis as a means of assessing the response of people to psychosocial stress. I am particularly interested in using these measures to try to understand more about ethnic differences in blood pressure and risk for both hypertension and stroke. I have also been involved with research on risk factors for type 2 diabetes in school children. My recent research studies have surveyed women at mid-life to examine ethnic differences in symptoms associated with menopause and the relationship between brown adipose tissue and the menopausal transition.
I can be reached at dbrown@hawaii.edu