Improving Care

Reducing morbidity and mortality and enhancing quality of life

Informing Policy

Transforming health care at the local, national and international levels

Featured Projects

With more than 80 scientists, research at Advancing Health encompasses a wide breadth of areas

COVID-19

The Evidence Speaks

A recurring feature highlighting the latest in Advancing Health research

Our People

In the News

Research Resources

From design to execution, Advancing Health provides a broad range of support services

Work in Progress Seminar Series

Carl J. Brown

Scientist, MD, M.SC., FRCSC

Dr. Carl Brown is a colorectal surgeon and the current Chair of the Section of Colorectal Surgery at the University of British Columbia.

Research Interests

  • Minimally invasive surgery for colorectal cancer
  • Quality improvement initiatives in acute general surgery emergencies
  • Quality improvement initiatives in colorectal cancer treatment
  • Surgery in under serviced and/or marginalized members of society
  • Bowel function after rectal cancer surgery

He is also the Provincial Lead for Surgical Oncology at BC Cancer. In this role, he is responsible for overseeing the timeliness, safety and quality of surgical care of cancer patients throughout British Columbia. In 2012, Dr. Brown was named one of the “top 40 under 40” in Vancouver by Business in Vancouver magazine.

Dr. Brown completed medical school at McMaster University in 1998. He completed general surgery training at the University of Calgary in 2003 and subsequently worked as a general surgeon at the Peter Lougheed Centre in Calgary. In 2004, he moved to Toronto to train as a subspecialist in Colorectal Surgery. Concurrent with his fellowship, Dr. Brown completed his master’s degree in clinical research at the University of Toronto. In 2006, Dr. Brown was recruited to St. Paul’s Hospital and the University of British Columbia.

Dr. Brown’s primary clinical interest is the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer. Further, he is a member of the BC provincial colon check colonoscopy initiative and travels to communities in BC to evaluate the colonoscopy skills of surgeons and gastroenterologists. Dr. Brown is also an advisor for the Canadian Cancer Society Network of Expert Reviewers and co-Chaired the Canadian Partnership Against Cancer (CPAC) Committee that developed the Pan Canadian Standards for Rectal Cancer Surgery.

Dr. Brown is a member of the Health for Humanity medical group, which annually travels to Guatemala to perform surgery for underprivileged citizens. He volunteered as a general surgeon on call for the Olympic Athlete’s Village during the Vancouver 2010 Winter Olympics.

Dr. Brown has published over 100 peer-reviewed research papers focused primarily on surgery for colorectal cancer. He has also taught courses in laparoscopic colorectal cancer surgery and transanal endoscopic microsurgery.

Additional Affiliations
  • Clinical Professor, Department of Surgery, UBC
  • Chair, Section of Colorectal Surgery, UBC
  • Provincial Lead, Surgical Oncology, BC Cancer
    Colorectal Surgeon, St. Paul’s Hospital