For her doctorate, Megan Brown studied reproductive behavior and physiology in the Whooping Crane (Grus americana) in a collaboration established with the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (Dr. Sarah Converse) and Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute (Dr. Nucharin Songsasen). She obtained her doctorate in Animal Sciences from the ANSC Graduate Program in 2017, University of Maryland and was a postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute. She is now the Director of Population Management Strategy, Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

The Whooping Cranes at the Patuxent Wildlife Research Center have been relocated to other facilities, including the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute.