Dr Brownell obtained degrees in electrical engineering and mathematics from the University of Maryland at College Park prior to undergoing MD/PhD training at Baylor College of Medicine. His thesis work in the lab of Dr Milan Jamirch investigated the role of a novel forkhead gene, Foxe3, in the development of the mammalian lens. He then completed an internship at Christus St. Joseph Hospital in Houston, TX and a dermatology residency at the New York University School of Medicine. Dr Brownell 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 member of the clinical faculty on the Dermatology Service. His clinical practice focused on patients with high-risk skin cancers and managing cutaneous side effects of cancer therapies. In 2011 Dr Brownell joined the Dermatology Branch in the Center for Cancer Research, National Cancer Institute where he is currently a tenure-track investigator and Acting Head of the Cutaneous Development and Carcinogenesis Section. 

Cancer Biology, Developmental Biology, Genetics and Genomics, Stem Cell Biology