Contact Information
Media Resources
Summary
Isaac Brownell, M.D., Ph.D., is a board-certified dermatologist and a fellow of the American Academy of Dermatology. He directs a research program that includes 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 (NCI).
Research Statement
Dr. Brownell studies the regulation of cutaneous stem cells and the molecular pathogenesis of skin cancer. A current research focus is the biology of neuroendocrine Merkel cells and the oncogenesis of Merkel cell carcinoma. Using mouse genetics, he investigates the signals that regulate skin stem cell development and maintenance. Mouse models are also used to study targets identified by high-throughput oncogenomic analysis of human skin tumors. In complementary studies, high-throughput screening techniques are used to identify novel therapeutic targets and treatments for skin cancers. In collaboration with oncologists in the National Cancer Institute, Dr. Brownell conducts early phase clinical trials treating skin cancer.
Scientific Publications
Education
Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX
M.D./Ph.D.
University of Maryland, College Park
B.S., Electrical Engineering and 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. In 2017, he and the Dermatology Branch transferred to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases where he is currently a Senior Investigator and Head of the Cutaneous Development and Carcinogenesis Section. Dr. Brownell is also an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Dermatology in the School of Medicine, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, and he co-directs the Cutaneous Oncology Program, Murtha Cancer Center, Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.