SUMMARY
The research interests of Robert D. Brown Jr., M.D., M.P.H., include cerebrovascular diseases of all types, such as stroke prevention, acute ischemic stroke, intracranial aneurysms, intracranial vascular malformations, primary central nervous system vasculitis and the epidemiology of cerebrovascular disorders.
Dr. Brown has extensive experience in the leadership of large epidemiological and multicenter research studies. He has served in a leadership role of a population-based epidemiologic study of stroke and cerebrovascular disorders at Mayo Clinic. In addition, he has led a large multicenter international cohort study regarding unruptured intracranial aneurysms. Dr. Brown also serves on the executive and steering committees for numerous other National Institutes of Health-funded studies in the fields of stroke and cerebrovascular disease.
Focus areas
- Assessing the risks of hemorrhage and growth, genetics, and optimal management for unruptured intracranial aneurysms
- Assessing incidence, prevalence, outcomes, genetics and risk factors for stroke and stroke types, and utilizing this data to guide primary and secondary prevention programs as well as enhance acute and chronic stroke management
- Assessing the risk of hemorrhage and optimal management for intracranial vascular malformations of all types
- Determining the best management for cerebrovascular disorders across the spectrum of etiologies, including common disorders such as carotid occlusive disease and uncommon disorders such as primary central nervous system vasculitis, utilizing clinical and epidemiology research programs
Significance to patient care
Cerebrovascular diseases are rarely seen in clinical practice. However, an entity such as an unruptured intracranial aneurysm (UIA) constitutes a public health problem and is a growing concern given the increasing frequency of detection on noninvasive brain imaging. Once a UIA is identified, the natural history of that UIA must be compared with the risks of endovascular or surgical intervention to determine the best management recommendation. These management questions continue to be addressed via ongoing research.
For cerebrovascular disorders more broadly, the clinical research has application in defining optimal primary and secondary prevention strategies for stroke as well as delineating the optimal management for a spectrum of cerebrovascular disorders.
Professional highlights
- John T. and Lillian Mathews Professor of Neurosciences, 2010