A golden anniversary becomes a golden opportunity

Strengthening Brown’s biomedical ecosystem 

Since the BrownTogether campaign kicked off in 2015, medical education, life sciences, and public health have been among its top priorities. Donors have established multiple endowed professorships in medicine, brain science, and translational research; helped launch centers and institutes for research about Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, and children’s health; supported the expansion of the Medical School’s MD/PhD program; and provided financial aid that is opening doors for aspiring physicians from a range of backgrounds.

All of this activity has attracted some of the most distinguished leaders in health care and the most promising medical students from around the country and across the world. 

“Brown has long-standing strength as a premier institution for education,” says Jain. “It’s synergistic: education is important to research and research amplifies the educational experience. Now, in addition to education, research, and clinical excellence, we are adding community as a fourth pillar to underscore the idea that we are stronger together than we would be individually.”

The goal for the University during the campaign extension is to build upon research and teaching in medicine, public health, and brain science—areas where Brown has the critical mass to make significant progress. These include aging and age-related disorders—such as cancer, neurodevelopmental problems, and neurodegeneration—infectious diseases, equity in health care delivery, the opioid crisis, and the intersection of climate change and population health.

Growth of this magnitude requires more space for collaboration. Brown has begun planning for a new integrated life sciences building located in the heart of Providence’s Jewelry District, close to The Warren Alpert Medical School and the University’s hospital partners.

“Cutting-edge research facilities are absolutely vital to being able to carry out the work our faculty, researchers, students and clinicians are doing,” says Jain. “A facility like this will also attract the best and brightest who want to contribute to these efforts.”

Impact beyond Brown

Investing in Brown’s research infrastructure in biomedical science will spur economic growth as well as insights to improve the health of populations all over the world. New research and community engagement to address local gaps in health care delivery will attract new industry partners to the Providence area and beget new jobs. Research and clinical trials conducted with Rhode Island’s diverse population can also be scaled up for areas facing health care challenges around the globe. 

“Universities are engines of innovation,” says Jain. “Before, we may have shared those innovations with students, but now society is looking to us for impact beyond just education. Developing new diagnostics, therapeutics, devices, and processes—that’s a profound way of impacting people beyond one’s own borders.”

As members of the Brown community come together to support this ambitious vision for Brown medicine, the future is undoubtedly bright. 

“I would say over the next five to ten years, Brown as a university and The Warren Alpert Medical School will be fundamentally different than they are today because of the plan to become more research intensive for impact,” says Jain.