Her 2006 New York Times article "One Spoonful at a Time"[3] chronicled the descent of her daughter, Anna Young, into anorexia and recovery via family-based treatment, also known as the Maudsley approach.
[4] Her experiences inspired Brown to begin working as an advocate for better eating disorders treatment.
That same year she helped found Maudsley Parents, a website offering resources to families struggling with anorexia.
As a professor at Newhouse, Brown continues to write, research, and teach about eating disorders and body image as well as other issues, including family estrangement.
In 2011 she won the John F. Murray Prize in Strategic Communication for the Public Good,[5] awarded by the University of Iowa School of Journalism.