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Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM) is an interdisciplinary field concerned with the promotion of personal and public health through planning, organizing, directing, controlling, coordinating and evaluating health services.
April 22, 2025 | Erin Bluvas, bluvase@sc.edu
When Tony Brown was an undergraduate at Furman University, there were two classes that sparked his interest in public health. A microbiology course revealed the impacts that tiny organisms can have on human health, and a history class introduced him to the influence of famous scientists across time and geography.
“The history of public health is strong, and sometimes world-changing lessons were learned by accident,” Brown says. “I was interested in using my curiosity to better the health of the community.”
Originally from Columbia, Brown looked closely at the Arnold School’s graduate programs, which were led by faculty who shared his interests in infectious diseases and offered a strong set of technical skills that would equip him to become the best researcher, advocate and teacher he could be. In 2015, Brown completed a Master of Public Health in Health Services Policy and Management (HSPM) with a concentration in epidemiology before entering the department’s Ph.D. in HSPM program.
The history of public health is strong, and sometimes world-changing lessons were learned by accident. I was interested in using my curiosity to better the health of the community.
Brown went on to gain experience as the Program Manager of MSM/LGBTQ+ HIV/STI Prevention Initiatives for the South Carolina HIV Council followed by multiple roles related to HIV/STI/VH Prevention with the South Carolina Department of Health and Environmental Control (renamed the Department of Public Health in 2024). In 2022, he took on the role of Division Chief for Program Evaluation and Data Analytics at the Maryland Department of Health’s Center for HIV Prevention and Health Services, and last year, Brown made the move to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration.
In parallel with the progression of his professional career, Brown’s doctoral studies helped refine his evaluation/data analytics and infectious disease expertise, specifically in the areas of HIV and other STIs with the goal of advancing health equity for sexual and racial minority groups. He found mentors in HSPM faculty Brian Chen, his dissertation chair who taught him advanced research methods, Bankole Olatosi, who exposed Brown to big data and its many lessons, and Kelli Kenison, who helped him find a love for program evaluation and mixed methods research.
After graduating in May, Brown will continue working to improve community health – whether in the public or private sector. For students considering a similar path, he recommends they do their homework prior to enrolling in a graduate program.
“Ask as many questions as possible about the program’s expectations, the professors’ background, and what technical skills you could learn,” Brown says. “It’s also important to review the expertise of professors in the program to find overlapping interests and look for projects that you would like to be a part of. If you can meet the professors prior to the acceptance, that is a great time to get to learn more about their work and skill sets.”
