From “No Way” to Leading the Way

Becoming an OB/GYN was the last thing on the mind of Mia Cowan, MD ’02, GME ’06, MBA, when she matriculated at MCW – yet this award-winning author, highly experienced physician and specialist in gynecology, wellness, weight management and intimacy credits the institution with changing the course of her professional life in a matter of days.

“When I entered medical school, I was 100 percent sure about two things: I was definitely not going to be an OB/GYN, and I was definitely not going to be a psychiatrist. But the very first day I went on rotation, I knew that I was meant to be an OB/GYN because I liked the diversity that the field offered: seeing pregnant and non-pregnant women, being able to operate, delivering babies – while still doing prevention and wellness,” Dr. Cowan shares.

Born and raised in Birmingham, Alabama, Dr. Cowan was drawn to math and science as a young girl. Her mother, a nurse, encouraged her daughter’s interest in these two fields and suggested that she become a doctor. “I liked math and science, I liked people and I liked solving problems, so it was a perfect option for me,” Dr. Cowan recalls.

Dr. Cowan remained at MCW for her residency and believes it offered her many opportunities that she would not have had if she had trained elsewhere. “Training at Froedtert and the outlying hospitals provided me with significant experience in surgery and within the medical field. When I moved back home and started in practice, I was at a huge advantage from the education and training I received at MCW.” (Pictured right: Dr. Mia Cowan, 2002)

Dr. Cowan returned to Birmingham after residency and worked as an OB/GYN for four years at Cooper Green Mercy Hospital. Concurrently, in 2008, she began a Physician Executive MBA Program to prepare her to practice on her own.

In 2010, Dr. Cowan opened MiBella Wellness Center, which now includes a team of experts in women’s and men’s health and wellness who provide compassionate patient care with traditional and holistic treatment options. Through its customized innovative approach and total wellness clinical programs, the center’s goal is to ensure that its patients “Live Well. Age Well. Experience Everlasting Intimacy.”

“What satisfies me most about having my own business is being able to give everyone top-notch care. I have a very diverse group of patients – female, male, white, black, brown, seniors and LGBTQ. I am most proud of the services I offer in hormone balance and total wellness,” Dr. Cowan shares.

Dr. Cowan has a particular affinity for Milwaukee – since it was there that she met Joseph W. Brown, Jr., whom she married in her third year of residency. He recently became CEO of the center after a career as a home inspector. They have two children, Marley Cowan Brown, 13, and Jamil Brown, 29.

In 2017, Dr. Cowan published A Woman’s Guide to Total Wellness, in which she breaks down common health challenges. She and Brown recently authored Everlasting Intimacy: Til Death Do Us Part, which helps the reader maintain a strong marriage through hard work, effective communication, everlasting intimacy and total wellness.

“I’ve changed a lot of women’s lives by listening to them,” Dr. Cowan says. Thankfully for them, Dr. Cowan has listened to her own heart to follow a unique path as a beloved practitioner and wellness champion.

– Sara L. Wilkins