Mickie Brown is a research associate at Start Early. Her research projects are centered on supporting research and evaluation work related to early childhood care and education and home visiting programs throughout Chicago. She works collaboratively across multiple teams at Start Early, including the Early/Head Start Network, the Home Visiting & Doula Network, and the Illinois Policy team. She is passionate about improving systemic barriers that impact pregnant people, infants, children, and families through connecting research, programs, and policy.

Prior to working at Start Early, Brown held research and program management roles at the Chicago Department of Public Health, the University of Illinois at Chicago, and Chapin Hall at the University of Chicago. She is also part of the first cohort of the Home Visiting Applied Research Collaborative (HARC) Early Career Scholars (2024-2025).

Brown received her Bachelor of Arts in English from DePaul University and a Master of Public Health in Maternal and Child Health from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Brown enjoys going on walks and trying new restaurants all around the Chicagoland area.