About Dr. Brownley
Dr. Julie Brownley is a board-certified adult psychiatrist with an M.D. and Ph.D. from University of Maryland School of Medicine. She completed her residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital, where she trained extensively in Women’s Mood Disorders, chronic migraine, and brain stimulation. Her research has been published in peer-reviewed journals and spans molecular medicine to clinical psychiatry.
Dr. Brownley is recognized as a leader in the field of Reproductive Psychiatry. She has completed a fellowship in Reproductive & Integrative Psychiatry, adding a unique blend of cutting-edge science, lifestyle medicine, and holistic approaches to her practice.
In addition to her clinical work, she serves as an educator for the psychiatry residency program at Johns Hopkins and as a consultant to SohoMD, a national telemental health company shaping the future of remote psychiatric care.
What truly sets Dr. Brownley apart is her passion for helping women navigate life’s transitions—whether that’s fertility, pregnancy, postpartum, perimenopause, or beyond. With warmth, curiosity, and a commitment to whole-person care, she integrates traditional psychiatric expertise with thoughtful, evidence-based mind-body strategies to support mental health at every stage of a woman’s life.
Fellowship Trained in Reproductive and Integrative Psychiatry
Dr. Brownley completed advanced training with director, Dr. Ana Glezer of Harvard's Massachusetts General Hospital. This program combines evidence-based psychiatry with integrative medicine, emphasizing the unique mental health needs of women across the reproductive lifespan. Under Dr. Glezer’s guidance, Dr. Brownley deepened her expertise in perinatal and perimenopausal psychiatry, hormonal influences on mood, nutritional and metabolic approaches, and mind-body strategies to support women’s mental health at every stage of life.
Psychiatry Residency at Johns Hopkins Hospital
Dr. Brownley completed her residency training in Psychiatry at The Johns Hopkins Hospital, one of the nation’s leading academic medical centers. Her training provided comprehensive experience in diagnosing and treating complex psychiatric conditions across inpatient, outpatient, consultation-liaison, and emergency settings. She worked closely with experts in psychopharmacology, psychotherapy, and neuroscience, while gaining exposure to highly specialized programs in mood disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and women’s mental health.
M.D. at University of Maryland
School of Medicine
Dr. Brownley received her medical degree from the University of Maryland School of Medicine, where she completed rigorous training in the biomedical sciences and clinical medicine. Her education emphasized evidence-based practice, interdisciplinary collaboration, and compassionate patient care, providing a strong foundation for her later specialization in psychiatry and women’s mental health.
Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine, University of Maryland
Before becoming a psychiatrist, Dr. Brownley completed her Ph.D. in Molecular Medicine at the University of Maryland, Baltimore. Her research at the Center for Vascular and Inflammatory Disease focused on how cell signaling pathways regulate vascular health and inflammation. This rigorous scientific background informs her evidence-based, integrative approach to psychiatry today.
Research
Dr. Brownley’s research career has spanned molecular medicine, family planning, psychiatry, addiction, trauma, and women’s health, with publications in high-impact journals across disciplines.
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Addiction & Behavioral Health: Contributed to studies evaluating brief screening tools for gambling disorder in substance use treatment settings and assessing the prevalence of gambling disorder among individuals in methadone maintenance treatment (American Journal on Addictions, 2015; Journal of Gambling Studies, 2015).
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HIV, Trauma, & Mental Health: Co-authored research examining the effects of trauma history on psychiatric symptom severity and religious coping among African-American women living with HIV (AIDS Care, 2015).
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Cell Signaling & Vascular Biology: As part of her doctoral work, published findings on the LDL receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) and its role in regulating PDGF signaling through interactions with SHP-2 (PLoS One, 2013).
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Celiac Disease & Intestinal Permeability: Earlier publications explored the molecular mechanisms by which gliadin (a gluten protein) binds to the chemokine receptor CXCR3, triggering zonulin release and increasing intestinal permeability (Gastroenterology, 2008; Journal of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition, 2006).
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Patent: Co-inventor on a U.S. patent identifying CXCR3 as a gliadin receptor (Patent Pub. No. US2007/0048801 A1).
Together, this body of work reflects a unique trajectory bridging basic science, clinical psychiatry, and women’s mental health — grounding Dr. Brownley’s practice in a deep understanding of both molecular mechanisms and human experience.
