Dr. Brown obtained her M.D. Degree from University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas, Dallas, TX (1988). After completing her residency in internal medicine in Dallas (1988-1991), she completed three years of postdoctoral training in gastroenterology/hepatology at University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas (1991-1994). In the general area of gastroenterology, Dr. Brown has a particular interest in diseases involving inflammation in the liver and the gastrointestinal tract. She has an interest in all of the viral hepatitides, including hepatitis C and its treatment, hepatitis B and hepatitis A. Currently, the laboratory is utilizing a variety of animal models, including several different mouse models to explore the relationship between immunomodulators such as TNF inhibitors and the pathophysiology of inflammatory diseases. Dr. Brown has demonstrated that TNF blockade is associated with a decrease in the severity of the inflammatory processes but also a reduction in the increased colonic mucosal permeability and diarrhea that were the hallmarks of this disease. Currently, the laboratory is determining the mechanisms of action of the TNF inhibitor during murine intestinal graft-versus-host disease.
