Dr. Thomas E. Brown

1942 - 2025

Dr. Thomas E. Brown
June 25, 1942 - August 18, 2025
Dr. Thomas E. Brown, Ph.D. (1942-2025) passed away at home on August 18, 2025, at the age of 83. Born in Minneapolis on June 25, 1942, Tom graduated from Knox College in 1964, earned a Master of Divinity from Yale Divinity School in 1968, and a Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from Yale University in 1976.
A pioneering voice in understanding Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Dr. Brown helped reframe it as a disorder of executive function. He created the widely used Brown Executive Function/Attention Scales and authored seven influential books, including Smart but Stuck and A New Understanding of ADHD, which continue to guide patients, families, and professionals worldwide.
Tom married Bobbie Brown in 1967. They raised their children, Liza and David, in Hamden, Connecticut, where Tom served as consulting psychologist at Hamden Hall Country Day School and later taught for decades at Yale, including as Associate Director of the Yale Clinic for Attention. In 2017, after Bobbie's passing, he moved to Los Angeles to be near family and founded the Brown Clinic for ADHD in Manhattan Beach with his colleague Ryan Kennedy.
A gifted speaker, Tom lectured in more than 50 countries. His 28-minute video for Understood.org, viewed over 11 million times, made complex science accessible to millions. He published over 30 peer-reviewed articles, was an elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association, received Knox College's Distinguished Alumni Award, and in 2024 was honored with CHADD's Lifetime Achievement Award.
Dr. Brown is survived by his daughter, "Liza" Somilleda, and her husband, Abel, of Hawthorne, California; his son, David Brown, and his wife, Jen, of Hancock Park, California; his beloved sister, Nancy Gebhard, of Centennial, Colorado; and his grandchildren, Noah and Simone Somilleda, and Ford Brown-born June 25, 2025, on Tom's 83rd birthday.
In tribute, CHADD, the nation's leading nonprofit for ADHD, has renamed its Young Scientist Award the Dr. Thomas E. Brown Pioneer Award. Donations in his memory may be made to CHADD (https://chadd.org/honoring-thomas-e-brown-phd/).