Dr Brown says, “My dad was a lawyer and he wanted me to be a lawyer and found it most upsetting that I used to keep chickens in the back yard and breed canaries as a hobby. However, when he saw how much I wanted to be a veterinarian he supported me to the hilt and the rest is history”.
He studied in Budapest, Hungary, Cambridge in the UK and for a short time in the US. He says it was a long and interesting journey during which he met all sorts of people, many of whom helped him to understand how important it is to do everything you do to the best of your ability. He graduated summa cum laude as a veterinarian from the Veterinary University of Budapest and obtained a doctoral degree in virology from the University of Cambridge. In the US he studied business and did courses in ultrasonography and equine medicine.
Outside of his mainline duties he spends a lot of time owning, breeding and looking after race horses. He says, “Nothing focuses the mind more than a 500 kg horse who decides that you’re not his friend”. He loves the challenge in dealing with that and creating comfort for these large, often abused animals.
Dr Brown has been about everything that you can be as a veterinarian in Jamaica. He has worked as a Government Parish veterinarian, a poultry veterinarian, a small animal veterinarian and as an equine veterinarian. He is also the owner and the CEO of a food safety testing laboratory which is ISO 17025 accredited. He served as the President of the Jamaica Veterinary Medical Association, and was a member of the Jamaica Veterinary Board (for 19 years),the Jamaica Racing Commission and many other Boards.
Dr Brown says, “Although I am not as young as I used to be there are a lot of things I still want to do and see. Foremost of these is to guide our veterinary practice to a position of unparalleled excellence and professionalism in the English-speaking Caribbean. And then maybe, I might retire.”. His animal family includes a a Rottweiler/Doberman mix named XXX and two cats named X and Mouse.
