Seth Allen Brown, MD

Pediatric emergency medicine

Appalachian Emergency Medicine

Music or medicine? That was the difficult career path decision Dr. Seth Brown says he faced when he was in high school enjoying life as the band drum major and trumpet player. Then, while he was on a run with the ambulance service in the Explorer program, his future path was clear.

“We were dispatched to a cardiac arrest and I watched as they were able to get the person’s pulse back,” he recalls. “That was when I knew I wanted to go into medicine.”

It was a fortunate choice for children in our region. The Mountain City native is now the one providing life-saving treatment as a pediatric emergency physician. The fact that he lives and works here in Northeast Tennessee near his hometown, though, was never a decision he had to make.

“To be able to be there for these families is truly a blessing.”

“During my training my wife and I left the area for my residency and fellowship, but our heart was to come back here,” says Dr. Brown. “It’s a great area where we are able to do a lot of good for kids and their families. We love it here.”

Though he sees children in serious situations every day, Dr. Brown says he will never forget the reaction of the mother of one patient who he was able to diagnose and treat, confirming that this is the job he was meant to do.

“When we told the mom we found what was wrong, she broke down in tears, literally screamed at the top of her lungs and wailed – I mean, really wailed,” he recalls. “Then she hugged me, all because she was so thankful we were able to find out what was wrong with her child.”

Seeing relief on parents’ and kids’ faces is what makes it all worthwhile, he says. “To be able to be there for these families is truly a blessing.”