Published on Feb 5, 2026
David E. Brown, D.C. Director
Governor Abigail Spanberger has appointed David E. Brown, D.C. as the Director of the Virginia Department of Health Professions (DHP). Dr. Brown returns to DHP after two previous terms as Director, serving under former Governors Ralph Northam and Terry McAuliffe.
A Virginia native and former Charlottesville mayor, Dr. Brown has been active at the local, state, and national level. He has served on a wide range of Boards of Directors, such as the Charlottesville-Albemarle Regional Jail, the Rivanna River Basin Commission, the Virginia Board of Medicine, the Virginia Healthcare Workforce Development Authority, and the Federation of Chiropractic Boards.
Other career highlights include moderating a 2012 medical panel discussion with the Dalai Lama, directing a soccer program for children in public housing, helping Edison2’s success in the 2010 Automotive XPRIZE—a worldwide contest to build a car that gets 100 miles per gallon—and serving as the special assistant to David Toscano, former Democratic Leader of the Virginia House of Delegates.
Dr. Brown began his healthcare career in 1982, opening a chiropractic practice in Charlottesville. He is a graduate of University of Virginia (BA, History) and earned his chiropractic degree at Western States Chiropractic College in Portland, Oregon.