Our mission to improve the health and well-being of people and planet is upheld by four pillars: education; research; clinical care; and community engagement. These pillars are interdependent and are built upon two foundational beliefs. The first is that we must create a learning and training environment that fosters belonging. The second foundational belief is a commitment to well-being, to creating an institutional culture in which our community members do not have to sacrifice their own well-being to serve others. 

We are working closer than ever with our University colleagues and hospital partners to create a true, coordinated biomedical ecosystem that will elevate our biomedical community for impact regionally and globally. We are investing in groundbreaking science that informs the delivery of the most advanced therapies to all patients and will attract biotech and biopharma companies. And we are fulfilling our responsibility to improve the health of our community through workforce development and improving access to health care.

Research Priority Areas

In October 2022, Brown launched a new operational plan to grow its research enterprise, with the goal of having an even greater positive impact on the world through the application of discoveries. With strengths in the basic sciences and clinical research, and strong collaborations with Brown’s School of Engineering and School of Public Health and the affiliated health care systems, the Division of Biology and Medicine is well positioned to push research through the full cycle of discovery to application to population-level evaluation. 

The Division is focused on the following existing and emerging strengths:

• Aging and aging-related disease
  • Center on the Biology of Aging
  • Legorreta Cancer Center
• Brain health
  • Center for Translational Neuroscience
  • Center for Alzheimer's Disease Research
• Immunology and infectious disease
• RNA biology
  • The Brown RNA Center

A Launchpad for Ideas

The endpoint on the continuum is the translation of discoveries into real, marketable therapies or diagnostic tools that help patients. Brown Biomedical Innovations to Impact helps bridge the gap between the lab bench and the commercialization of a product, helping investigators bring their discovery further in its development to where a startup could be launched or to attract an outside investor.

Funded through the generosity of donors, BBII makes annual awards to help accelerate the translation of scientific discoveries into commercial products. Previously funded projects have included a tool for enabling better collaboration in minimally invasive surgery, new treatments for glioblastoma, a new drug for pulmonary fibrosis, and lab-grown tissues for post-heart attack cardiac repair.

One of the most significant milestones that signaled a true shift toward a coordinated biomedical ecosystem was the November 2022 signing of an aligned research collaboration agreement by Brown and its two affiliated health systems, Brown University Health and Care New England. Under this new structure, called Brown Innovation and Research Collaborative for Health, or BIRCH, the health systems are working to align their research operations with the Division of Biology and Medicine in a unified enterprise. 

Building on Distinction was formulated with the express intent to unite expertise from across the University and its professional schools in solving problems that plague our society. The Division works closely with experts across the University:

• Brown School of Public Health
• Brown School of Engineering
• Carney Institute for Brain Science
• Watson Institute for International and Public Affairs
• Taubman Center for American Politics and Policy
• Division of Applied Mathematics