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Summary
Isaac Brownell, M.D., Ph.D., is a board-certified dermatologist specializing in cutaneous oncology and oncodermatology. He directs a research program encompassing basic, translational, and clinical investigations of skin homeostasis and skin cancer. Dr. Brownell is an attending physician on the NIH Clinical Center’s Dermatology Consultation Service and he co-directs the Cutaneous Oncology Program at the Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. He is also an Adjunct Investigator at the National Cancer Institute’s Center for Immuno-Oncology.
Research Statement
Dr. Brownell studies the regulation of cutaneous stem cells and the molecular pathogenesis of skin cancer. A major research focus is the biology of neuroendocrine Merkel cells and the oncogenesis of Merkel cell carcinoma. Using mouse genetics, his laboratory investigates the signaling pathways that regulate skin stem cell development and maintenance. His research also uses preclinical models to study therapeutic targets identified using oncogenomic analyses of human skin tumors, high-throughput drug screening, and functional genomic screens. Leveraging data from clinical registries and databases, Dr. Brownell investigates the biology and management of high-risk skin cancers. In collaboration with National Cancer Institute oncologists, Dr. Brownell conducts early-phase clinical trials and studies the dermatologic complications of cancer and cancer therapy.
Scientific Publications
Education
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
M.D./Ph.D.
University of Maryland, College Park
B.S., Electrical Engineering and B.S., Mathematics
Experience
After graduating from the Medical Scientist Training Program at Baylor College of Medicine, Dr. Brownell completed an internship at Christus St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, TX, and a Dermatology residency at the New York University School of Medicine. He completed a postdoctoral research fellowship on Hedgehog signaling and cutaneous stem cells in the lab of Dr. Alexandra Joyner at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center where he was also a clinical faculty member on the Dermatology Service. His clinical practice focused on patients with high-risk skin cancers.
In 2011, Dr. Brownell joined the Dermatology Branch in the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute (NCI). In 2017, he and the Dermatology Branch moved to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases. He is currently a Senior Investigator, Co-leader of the Dermatology Branch, and Head of the Cutaneous Development and Carcinogenesis Section. Dr. Brownell also holds an Adjunct Investigator appointment in the NCI’s Center for Immuno-Oncology and is an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dermatology at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. He co-directs the Cutaneous Oncology Program at the Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.