How One Mother Found Her Second Act in Medical School 
Vanessa Brown (DO ‘29)

October 6, 2026

For Vanessa Brown (DO ‘29), becoming a physician was a dream she carried from childhood. But her path to Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM) wound through music, motherhood, and a series of unexpected turns.

Brown’s first career was in the music industry. A classically trained vocalist and music business major, she worked for independent record labels as an artist and repertoire executive, and later as a marketing strategist. She imagined building a career in music, but after getting married and having her first child, she put her career on hold to focus on her growing family.

Years later, with four children, Brown leaned on her faith to figure out where life might take her next. “Every time I prayed about what was next for me, the word ‘medicine’ kept coming back,” she said. “It felt like I was hearing it from everywhere, and I knew it was the next step I was meant to take.”

With three of her four children having severe childhood asthma that included hospitalizations involving airlifts, intubation and prolonged sedation, Brown’s call to medicine became that much stronger.

“Whenever the doctors were on rounds discussing my child, I would instinctively join in and ask questions. It felt natural to me and, as a parent, like something I needed to be involved in,” she said. “Sometimes they would use medical terms I wasn’t familiar with, and I would ask them to explain. I realized that due to the confidence I had to include myself in those conversations, they would talk to me as if I already knew what they were talking about! Those times helped me realize how much more I truly wanted to understand.”

Her curiosity extended beyond her children’s diagnoses. In her free time, Brown found herself reading medical articles and research studies, eager to understand more about the science behind the care her family was receiving. “It increasingly fueled my fire to want to make an impact on the healthcare world,” she said.

With the support of her husband and children, Brown began preparing for medical school. She completed prerequisite courses and committed herself to a new chapter. PCOM was always her top choice because of its osteopathic approach to medicine.

“I strongly believe osteopathy is at the core of how we should practice medicine,” said Brown. “While we’ve benefited from modern medicine, we also need to be anchored in the fundamentals of the human body, and I felt like PCOM was the place where I could learn that perspective.”

Now in her second year in the Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine program, Brown says medical school is teaching her more than just medicine. It is also teaching her resilience.

“As someone who is mature in age, it’s taught me that I can still do hard things. We don’t always know what we’re capable of until we actually do it, and I think there’s something beautiful about continuing to discover that in yourself.”

For those who wonder whether it is too late to pursue medicine, Brown offers a simple reminder: that some dreams are worth waiting for.

“Whatever is in your heart is not going anywhere, and until you let it out, it will only grow stronger and stronger,” she said. “So, if it’s in your heart, then allow it to come out, sing, and thrive into what it’s supposed to be.”

You May Also Like:

• PCOM Researchers Awarded Grant to Help Prevent Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder
• When Maternal Mental Health Symptoms Need Support
• Med Student Gives Back to the Place That Gave Her Hope