Photo: Bryan Goodchild
Robert H. Brown Jr., DPhil, MD, the Donna M. and Robert J. Manning Chair in Neuroscience and professor of neurology at UMass Chan Medical School, has been elected as a member of the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.
Dr. Brown is one of 252 people elected to the academy this year.
“I am deeply honored to be elected to the American Academy of Arts & Sciences,” Brown said. “It is a wonderful acknowledgement of contributions of many collaborators and members of my lab past and present who have been the cornerstone of our investigations. It also reflects enormous support from several mentors over the years, as well as leadership at UMass Chan and my family.”
Brown is widely recognized for his groundbreaking research into inherited and genetic causes of neurodegenerative and neuromuscular disease. His research has led to major discoveries in identifying gene defects that explain how amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) causes neurons to die. In 1993, Brown and a team of researchers discovered SOD1, the first gene linked to the inherited form of ALS.
Since joining UMass Chan in 2008, Brown and fellow researchers have launched two proof-of-concept human trials for gene suppression therapy for ALS, also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. His lab focuses on identifying gene defects that explain the biological mechanisms of ALS, muscular dystrophy and other neuromuscular diseases. For over a decade, the Brown lab has received support from the Cellucci Fund at UMass Chan and the Angel Fund for ALS Research.
Brown is vice chair of research in the Department of Neurology and director of Neurotherapeutics at UMass Chan. He served as chair of Neurology until 2018. Brown is a fellow of the National Academy of Medicine and served two years as the president of the American Neurological Association. Brown received his undergraduate degree from Amherst College, a Doctor of Philosophy in neurophysiology from Oxford University and his medical degree from Harvard Medical School.
Academy president Laurie Patton said, “We celebrate the achievement of each new member and the collective breadth and depth of their excellence–this is a fitting commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary. The founding of the nation and the academy are rooted in the inextricable links between a vibrant democracy, the free pursuit of knowledge, and the expansion of the public good.”
Founded in 1780, the American Academy of Arts & Sciences honors excellence and leaders from every field of human endeavor to examine new ideas, address issues of importance to the nation and the world and work together to cultivate every art and science.
Brown joins eight UMass Chan faculty colleagues previously elected to the academy.
