Rebecca M. Brown, MD, PhD | Neuro-Oncology Assistant Professor | The Mount Sinai Hospital

A renowned physician, educator, lecturer, and researcher focused on neurofibromatosis and glioblastoma, Rebecca M. Brown, MD, PhD has excelled as a Neuro-Oncology Assistant Professor at Mount Sinai Hospital since 2021. A provider of inpatient and outpatient care, she sees people with systemic cancer and brain and spinal metastasis; remains educated and up-to-date on treatment; maintains the neurofibromatosis clinic that sees both adults and children she built at the hospital; speaks worldwide on the areas of her expertise; consults with and contacts other doctors and pharmaceutical companies regarding patients’ health; and mentors trainees in premedical, medical school, post-medical school, residencies, and fellowships. Most recently, she has been running a phase I investigator-initiated trial into a new treatment for skin tumors and neurofibromatosis, and her most recent lab research is developing a cohort of xenografts.

Prior to this appointment, Dr. Brown served as an instructor at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center from 2019 to 2021, before which she completed a fellowship at the institution from 2017 to 2019. She was previously active as a resident doctor in the Mount Sinai Health System from 2014 to 2017, her first full-time role in the field. Upon completing coursework in biology from Barnard College in 1996, she pursued a bachelor’s degree at the University of Chicago while interning and working as a special assistant to the sales director at Rapid Science Publishers London and a special sales assistant for the Research Aid for Meyer Weinberg. She ultimately earned her degree in 2000 and subsequently attained a Doctor of Philosophy in neuroscience from the University of Texas at Austin in 2007 and then at the Southwestern School of Medicine in 2013, and followed these up by earning a Doctor of Medicine from UT Southwestern Medical Center.

Over the course of her educational journey, Dr. Brown, who was initially focused on basic laboratory research and then clinical research, developed the feeling that she had more to offer working directly with people. Approaching problems very scientifically and molecularly, she is uniquely able to communicate with everyone from scientists and experts to a layperson—and explains information to everybody in terms that are understandable to them, including why certain actions are taken and whether or not a treatment is effective. She is extremely focused on the patient and considers them partners as they work together on treatment plans, striving to always listen to and address their concerns and deliver state-of-the-art medical care. Additionally, she is one of the few neurofibromatosis doctors to focus on adults and the most effective doctor patients have because she thinks outside the box. Dr. Brown is building a program at Mount Sinai Hospital that will bring laypeople, those without science degrees, into scientific research to reconjoin the general population with science and medical advancements.

Outside of her primary responsibilities, Dr. Brown worked in a dog rescue for 15 years and is a dedicated member of the Society for Neuro-Oncology, American Academy of Neurology, American Neurological Association, and American Society of Clinical Oncology. With adoration for the patient population and the wide range of ages and experiences she sees in her clinic, she continues to find her accomplished career rewarding.