Community Health Specialist, UC Merced
Professor of Health Economics at the University of California Merced, founded Sierra Health Economics to support and promote evidence based decision making for public health and health care organizations in the rural and under-served areas of California. Sierra Health Economics provides specialized consulting, tools, and training in health economics and behavioral economics.
Academic Background During 15 years as Professor of Health Economics at UC Merced (2011-2025), Dr. Brown was founding Director of the Health Sciences Research Institute, the largest research institution on campus. He served as Principal Investigator for the $1.35 million California Farmworker Health Study and developed health economics training programs that reached over 600 California public health professionals. Prior to UC Merced, he held positions at the University of Auckland (New Zealand), University of North Carolina, and University of Massachusetts-Boston, and worked for 12 years in various roles within New Zealand's health system.
Current Work Through Sierra Health Economics, Dr.Brown helps public health and healthcare agencies make evidence-based decisions about resource allocation. He specializes in three core areas:
Comprehensive needs assessment: Quantifying disease burden and economic impact in diverse communities
Transparent priority-setting: Designing defensible processes for allocating limited resources
Economic evaluation: Conducting cost-effectiveness, cost-utility, and return on investment analyses
Identifying health economic data sources: Identifying publicly available data that can assist agencies to understand the economic implications of their policies and initiatives
Research & Impact Dr. Brown's research focuses on economic evaluation of interventions for vulnerable populations, particularly in rural and medically under-served regions. His chronic disease cost estimation tools are used by all 58 California counties for community health assessments,strategic planning, and PHAB accreditation.Originally from California, Dr. Brown now lives in Mariposa County, serving California's public health community statewide from the Sierra Nevada region.
Mamata Pokhrel is a public health professional, researcher, and trained Ayurvedic physician. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of California, Merced, and a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She previously worked as a Project Coordinator at the Merced County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), contributing to Community Health Assessment (CHA), Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), strategic planning, the county’s public health accreditation process and tobacco cessation projects. She is a research affiliate member of the UC Merced Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI) and in the past served as General Secretary of the Public Health Student Executive Board at UC Merced. Her research spans diverse areas, including the prioritization of health needs in California counties, food insecurity among Afghan refugees, cardiometabolic risks in young Asian American adults, and vector-borne diseases. Her research interests include health services research, health equity, healthcare systems, cardiometabolic disease, health and behavioral economics. With experience across both healthcare and public health systems, she is committed to improving health outcomes and addressing health disparities on a global scale.
Mamata Pokhrel is a public health professional, researcher, and trained Ayurvedic physician. She holds a Master of Science in Public Health from the University of California, Merced, and a Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery (BAMS) from the Institute of Medicine, Tribhuvan University, Nepal. She previously worked as a Project Coordinator at the Merced County Department of Public Health (MCDPH), contributing to Community Health Assessment (CHA), Community Health Improvement Plan (CHIP), strategic planning, the county’s public health accreditation process and tobacco cessation projects. She is a research affiliate member of the UC Merced Health Sciences Research Institute (HSRI) and in the past served as General Secretary of the Public Health Student Executive Board at UC Merced. Her research spans diverse areas, including the prioritization of health needs in California counties, food insecurity among Afghan refugees, cardiometabolic risks in young Asian American adults, and vector-borne diseases. Her research interests include health services research, health equity, healthcare systems, cardiometabolic disease, health and behavioral economics. With experience across both healthcare and public health systems, she is committed to improving health outcomes and addressing health disparities on a global scale.
