Academic Departments
All faculty are organized into one or more of the fourteen clinical departments, situated throughout Brown's seven teaching hospital partners, and five basic science departments on the Brown University campus. The Division of Biology and Medicine's structure unites the departments into a cohesive unit with a common mission: to understand the underpinnings of human life and the study, prevention, and treatment of disease.
Basic Science Departments
Ecology and Evolutionary Biology
Chair: Mark Bertness, PhD
Research and instruction in the Department is directed toward understanding biological systems at the individual, population, and community levels of organization utilizing both plant, animal, and microbial systems. Major research areas pursued by faculty and students include functional morphology, foraging ecology, the adaptive significance of animal behavior, sexual selection in plants and animals, insect mating behavior, plant population genetics, molecular population genetics and evolution, marine community ecology, theoretical population and community ecology, and ecosystem ecology.
Graduate study in ecology and evolutionary biology at Brown University leads to the PhD degree. A core of faculty and postdoctoral researchers engaged in cutting edge research guides students. Students further benefit from the Department's academic collaborations across University and Alpert Medical School departments and programs. The Brown/Marine Biological Laboratory Joint Graduate Program offers students an opportunity to work with faculty at both Brown and the renowned MBL in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. Faculty and students are also active prominently in the Environmental Change Initiative, a multidisciplinary center at Brown tackling the complex issues undergirding environmental change.
>View Ecology and Evolutionary Biology site
Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry
Chair: John Sedivy, PhD
The Department of Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry is a basic science department within the Brown University Division of Biology and Medicine. Its core areas of scholarship are broad and encompass biochemistry, cell biology, developmental biology, and genetics. The department supports undergraduate, graduate, and medical education in these fields, offering a large variety of courses from introductory to highly specialized levels. The department currently houses 28 primary faculty whose research programs cover a wide array of biological questions, model systems, and methodological approaches. The biological phenomena under investigation span from embryonic and neuronal development, reproduction and genetics of behavior to neurodegeneration and aging. The biological mechanisms being addressed include DNA replication, recombination and transcription, RNA processing and transport, protein translation, protein folding and turnover, vesicular transport, and numerous aspects of molecular signaling. Model systems range from prokaryotic, through plant and several metazoan species to mammals including humans. Classical biochemical and genetic approaches are used alongside cutting edge technologies including genomics, proteomics, X-ray crystallography, and mouse transgenics. The department is also the centerpiece of an interdisciplinary and interdepartmental graduate program in Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry leading to the PhD degree.
>View Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry site
Molecular Microbiology and Immunology
Chair: Christine Biron, PhD
Our department supports undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral education by providing an interdisciplinary structure for training programs. The department's overall mission is to maintain an active and integrated research program for studying the interactions between pathogenic microbes and their hosts that influence the outcome of infections. We foster collaborative studies within the department as well as with faculty in other departments, both on campus and hospital-based. We provide instruction and a nurturing environment for undergraduate, graduate, and medical students in the areas of microbiology and immunology. MMI's instruction includes lecture courses, seminar courses, and laboratory research (both undergraduate independent study and graduate thesis).
>View Molecular Microbiology and Immunology site
Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology
Chair: Wayne D. Bowen, PhD
Guided by a mission to apply insight gained from scientific inquiry to advance the treatment of illness and injury, faculty research interests within the Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology (MPPB) are diverse and include molecular and structural pharmacology; the molecular and cellular basis for drug addiction; cellular and intracellular signaling in cancer and neurodegeneration; macromolecular structure; cellular, comparative, and organ systems physiology; biomaterials; organ replacement, tissue engineering, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine. Research objectives are translated into innovation by faculty with extensive experience in the biotechnology and biomedical device industry.
The Department's fourteen faculty members support graduate, medical, and postdoctoral education within an interdisciplinary framework of training programs in classical theory and newly emerging areas of biomedical sciences. Doctoral degree programs are offered in three programmatic tracks.
>View Molecular Pharmacology, Physiology and Biotechnology site
Neuroscience
Chair: Barry W. Connors , PhD
The mission of the Department of Neuroscience is to do excellent teaching and research on the basic functions and diseases of the nervous system. Areas of interest include neural plasticity, information processing, and neuronal and synaptic functions, particularly as they relate to development, sensory perception, motor behavior, and cognition. The twenty campus-based Neuroscience faculty train undergraduate, graduate, postdoctoral, and medical students in molecular, cellular, developmental, systems, cognitive, and theoretical neuroscience. There are currently forty-two doctoral students in the Neuroscience Graduate Program and the innovative Brown-NIH Graduate Program Partnership, and 122 undergraduate students are enrolled in the neuroscience concentration. Members of the Department also participate in the MRI Research Facility, the Center for Vision Research, and several NIH and NIMH training grants for graduate and postdoctoral fellows studying neuroscience and vision sciences. The Department is also a cornerstone of Brown's Brain Science Program, a multidisciplinary consortium of about ninety faculty from eleven departments that promotes collaborative theoretical and experimental studies of the brain.
>View Neuroscience site
Clinical Departments
Clinical Neurosciences: Neurology
Chair: J. Donald Easton, MD
The Neurology division of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences provides a comprehensive and integrated program of clinical care, education, and research dealing with diseases of the brain, spinal cord and neuromuscular system. The Adult Neurology service is based at Rhode Island Hospital, including the Neurology Foundation office, with affiliated services based at Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island and Butler Hospital. A well established Child Neurology program provides inpatient services at Hasbro Children's Hospital and outpatient services at Rhode Island Hospital. Neurology and combined Neurology/Psychiatry residency training programs are an integral part of the division's postgraduate educational activities as well as subspecialty fellowships in a variety of disciplines. Clinical research by faculty includes collaborative efforts with the Neuropathology and Neurosurgery divisions at Rhode Island Hospital and translational research activities with faculty on the Brown University campus.
>View Clinical Neurosciences: Neurology site
Clinical Neurosciences: Neurosurgery
Chair: Interim Chair: Curtis Doberstein, MD
The Neurosurgery Foundation is an academic group of physicians specializing in neurosurgery and neuro-oncology. In addition to providing patient care, as faculty members at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, we conduct research and train residents. Our services and facilities have drawn patients from all over New England and the nation, as well as from outside the United States.
>View Clinical Neurosciences: Neurosurgery site
Community Health
Chair: Vincent Mor, PhD
The Department of Community Health offers multidisciplinary programs in population-based medicine and health, with particular strengths in epidemiology, biostatistics, health care research, public health, health policy, international health, gerontology, and in the clinical areas of primary care and prevention. The Department works collaboratively with Alpert Medical School and University academic departments and across University-based and hospital-based research centers. Community Health is the academic home of the Program in Public Health, which encompasses Brown's ten nationally-renowned public health research centers.
In addition to a popular undergraduate concentration that is one of the top-ranked programs in the country, the Department offers course work leading to master's and doctoral degrees in epidemiology and biostatistics, as well as a PhD in health services research. A Master of Public Health degree program is dedicated to developing skilled professionals who are committed to improving the health of communities by translating scientific research into public health policy and practice.
>View Community Health site
Dermatology
Chair: Charles J. McDonald, MD
The Department of Dermatology is dedicated to maintaining exceptional academic programs in which residents, fellows, students, and faculty work closely together, promoting the best possible care of patients while preserving an optimal educational environment. The department's thirteen academic faculty members combined with dozens of voluntary clinical faculty provide eleven residents with an unmatched, high quality educational and service experience throughout four of the Alpert Medical School-affiliated teaching hospitals. Trainees leave with a dedication and commitment to a process of lifelong learning. Residents and medical students are exposed to an array of divisions throughout the department, which include dermatopathology, dermatopharmacology, dermatoepidemiology, and Mohs dermatologic surgery. Fellowships are offered in both dermatoepidemiology and Mohs surgery.
>View Dermatology site
Diagnostic Imaging
Chair: John J. Cronan, MD
With nearly sixty faculty, the Department of Diagnostic Imaging provides services in four of the Medical School's affiliated hospitals with over 500,000 imaging examinations performed annually. The department's residency program , which currently enrolls twenty-eight residents and graduates seven residents every year, was ranked number one in the country in 2008 by the American Board of Radiology. A fellowship is offered in vascular and interventional radiology. Faculty members are engaged in a wide range of research programs, including studies on cancer imaging and brain and vascular imaging.
>View Diagnostic Imaging site
Emergency Medicine
Chair: Brian J. Zink, MD
Established in 2004, the Department of Emergency Medicine's mission is to provide exceptional emergency medical care, education, research, and service to the people of Rhode Island and beyond. The Department's seventy-nine faculty members see over 225,000 patients per year in the emergency departments at Rhode Island Hospital (a Level 1 trauma center), The Miriam Hospital, Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, and Hasbro Children's Hospital - the only pediatric emergency department in southeastern New England. The Department has a highly regarded emergency medicine residency program (established in 1993) that trains twelve residents per year to become future leaders in emergency medicine. A robust and diverse research program attracts over $2.4 million in external funding. The Department of Emergency Medicine has active research and education programs in Pediatric EM, International EM, Injury Prevention, Medical Simulation, Emergency Medical Services, and Emergency Ultrasound.
>View Emergency Medicine site
Family Medicine
Chair: Jeffrey M. Borkan, MD, PhD
The Department of Family Medicine is a leader in patient and relationship-centered practice, research, and educational programming aimed at improving health outcomes for patients, families, and communities. The Department?s primary mission is to create a primary health care system that is personal, high quality, responsible, accessible, sustainable, and just. The Department?s graduates, faculty, and partners provide care throughout the nation and the world, and comprise two-thirds of the family physicians in Rhode Island. The major training and clinical site for the Department is its model Family Medical Center (FCC). Located on the main campus of the Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island, the FCC provides comprehensive patient care to the residents of Pawtucket, Central Falls, and surrounding areas. The Department is home to the Family Medicine Residency Program, which enrolls thirteen residents per year for three years of training, as well as Fellowship Programs, such as Maternal and Child Health. Its Pre-Doctoral Division directs the required core clerkship in family medicine for Alpert medical students, as well as a multiplicity of other courses and programs. Faculty, residents, and students conduct research projects in cardiovascular prevention, smoking cessation, primary care genetics, HIV care, and in other areas. The Center for Primary Care and Prevention, a Brown research collaboration with Community Health, is located right above the Family Care Center, facilitating translational clinical research. Working in a collaborative manner with other primary care physicians, allied and mental health professional physical and community advocates, the Department aims to help individuals and whole communities reach the highest possible levels of health and function.
>View Family Medicine site
Medicine
Chair: Lance D. Dworkin, MD
The Department of Medicine is comprised of eleven distinct Medical Specialties known as Divisions. These Divisions, working in conjunction with the community doctors who comprise our Primary Care offerings, provide patients with an outstanding level of care both within the Brown affiliated hospitals and throughout several community-based clinical locations.
>View Medicine site
Obstetrics and Gynecology
Chair: Joanna M. Cain, MD
Our department consists of both hospital-based full-time faculty, organized by divisions, and voluntary faculty physicians in the community.
>View Obstetrics and Gynecology site
Orthopaedics
Chair: Michael G. Ehrlich, MD, Vincent Zecchino Professor of Orthopaedics
The Department of Orthopaedics provides world-class patient care, education, and research. Home to an $11.3 million Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) grant for skeletal health and repair, the Department's external research funding totals more than $30 million. Six residents are admitted for training each year, and fellowships are offered in seven subspecialties. Faculty are based primarily at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children's Hospital - a Level 1 trauma center and the only pediatric hospital in the state, respectively.
>View Orthopaedics site
Pathology and Laboratory Medicine
Chair: Agnes B. Kane, MD, PhD
The Department of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine bridges basic science, translational and clinical research, and diagnostic pathology. Seventy faculty members serve are located on the Brown campus, at the affiliated hospitals, the Rhode Island Blood Bank and the Office of the Medical Examiner at the Rhode Island Department of Health. All campus and hospital-based faculty participate in teaching and advising undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, residents, and postdoctoral and clinical fellows. The Department's residency program trains up to sixteen residents per year in anatomic and clinical pathology. Fellowships are offered in five subspecialty areas of pathology. The Department is home to a Superfund Basic Research Program and an NIEHS Training Program in Environmental Pathology. Clinical and translational research focuses on cancer, aging and neurodegenerative disease, and prenatal diagnosis and early pregnancy loss. Interdisciplinary research programs include global health, reproductive toxicology, and nanotechnology and nanotoxicology.
>View Pathology and Laboratory Medicine site
Pediatrics
Chair: Robert B. Klein, MD
The Department of Pediatrics encompasses the clinical care, cutting edge research, and academic pursuits of both hospital-based and community pediatricians.
More than half of our two hundred faculty members are located on the Brown campus, at Rhode Island Hospital, Women & Infants Hospital, Bradley Hospital, and Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island. Our faculty base also includes the community pediatricians who have private practice offices throughout the state of Rhode Island and Southeastern Massachusetts.
All campus and hospital-based faculty participate in teaching and advising undergraduates, graduate students, medical students, residents, as well as post-doctoral and clinical fellows. The Pediatrics residency program, along with the Medicine/Pediatrics residency and Triple-Board residency programs train a collective total of 96 residents. Fellowships are offered in eight subspecialty areas of pediatrics, including neonatology, gastroenterology, hematology/oncology, pathology, developmental/behavioral medicine, infectious diseases, and child protection.
Research efforts have recently made headlines in the areas of childhood asthma, facial asymmetry, and eating disorders. Ongoing research collaborations exist with the COBRE Center for Cancer Research, the Department of Orthopaedics Research labs, and the Bradley Hasbro Research Center.
Psychiatry and Human Behavior
Chair: Martin B. Keller, MD
The Department of Psychiatry and Human Behavior (DPHB) is among the outstanding academic departments of psychiatry in the United States. The DPHB has a diverse and talented faculty who provide trainees and students with numerous educational opportunities in our three residencies, two fellowship programs, a psychology internship program, and seven postdoctoral training programs. The Department has over $50 million in externally sponsored research in innovative programs which are integral to the department's mission to further understanding regarding the etiology and treatment of psychiatric illnesses. This commitment to education, translational research and clinical care is the foundation of the DPHB's tradition of excellence.
>View Psychiatry and Human Behavior site
Radiation Oncology
Chair: David E. Wazer, MD
The Department of Radiation Oncology is located at Rhode Island Hospital and works with all other departments in the Comprehensive Cancer Center to make available a full spectrum of care for cancer patients and their families. Many advanced technology treatments are offered by the Department that are not available elsewhere in the state or the region, including image-guided radiation therapy, radiosurgery, and high-dose remote afterloading brachytherapy. The Radiation Oncology Residency Training Program is one of the oldest in the country, providing clinical training and research experience under the guidance of the Department's radiation oncology and medical physics faculty. Research conducted by the Department has led to a number of developments that translate to more effective treatments for patients including development of short-course brachytherapy for breast cancer, intensity modulated radiotherapy, radiosurgery, and computer-based techniques to precisely calculate radiation doses.
>View Radiation Oncology site
Surgery
Chair: William G. Cioffi, MD
The Department of Surgery encompasses the divisions of General Surgery, Anesthesiology, Cardiothoracic Surgery, Critical Care Medicine (Surgery), Ophthalmology, Oral Maxillofacial Surgery, Otolaryngology, Pediatric Surgery, Plastic Surgery, Surgical Oncology, Surgical Endocrinology, Trauma and Burns, Vascular Surgery, and Urology. The goal of the Department is to foster an environment for the optimal education of residents and medical students and to prepare them to assume their roles in scientific and medical communities. Faculty are responsible for teaching medical students in the required core clerkship in surgery. The residency program admits XX students annually and fellowships are offered in three subspecialties. The Department has a robust Division of Surgical Research which boasts an NIH-sponsored Trauma and Inflammation Research Training Fellowship.
>View Surgery site
