by Kylie Avery
Katrina Brown, MSN, RN, CEN, SANE-A, sexual assault nurse examiner team lead, received the 2023 Visionary Voice Award from the National Sexual Violence Resource Center.
Award nominees are recognized for their devotion to ending sexual violence and supporting survivors of sexual assault. Brown was nominated by the Tennessee Coalition to End Domestic and Sexual Violence and was presented with her award in April at its annual Rape Prevention and Education Institute.
“Katrina’s dedication is evident in the ways she cares for our patients and the compassion she shows as these survivors navigate the trauma they’re facing,” said Tyler Barrett, MD, MSCI, executive medical director, Emergency Services.
“Her commitment to developing the expert services we can offer patients at a critical time is crucial to helping them heal. Her team’s expertise is also critical to aiding the successful prosecution of these heinous crimes.”
Brown has been a registered nurse in the Adult Emergency Department since 2010 and collaborated to develop the Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner (SANE) program at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. She has led the team since 2019.
The SANE team members receive additional training to provide specialized, expert care and forensic examinations for patients who have experienced sexual assault. They’re also content experts involving intimate partner violence, strangulation and human trafficking.
SANE partners with law enforcement, advocacy agencies and district attorney offices to provide a coordinated community response to sexual violence.
Brown continues working to expand these services to rural and underserved communities through ongoing community development to serve patients at Vanderbilt Wilson County Hospital, Vanderbilt Tullahoma-Harton Hospital, and Vanderbilt Bedford County Hospital.
“My goal is to help meet patients where they are physically and emotionally and empower them in navigating their individual situation. Creating availability to provide these services in the community in a compassionate, trauma-informed manner helps to lessen the stress and trauma of the situation they are already enduring,” Brown said.
“It is my goal to partner with other agencies and organizations across Middle Tennessee to ensure all patients in the region have the support and resources they need.”