Professional Background

Before turning to fiction, Dr. Brown built a distinguished career in ophthalmology and retinal surgery. He is a Phi Beta Kappa graduate of Colgate University and Alpha Omega Alpha at SUNY Upstate Medical University, where he played trumpet in jazz band. Dr. Brown completed his residency and vitreoretinal fellowship at Wills Eye Hospital—one of the world’s leading centers for eye care. He later served as Director of the Retina Service there, helping train generations of retinal specialists.

Over the course of his career, Dr. Brown performed tens of thousands of delicate retinal operations and helped lead one of the most influential retina fellowship programs in the world. Physicians trained through the program now practice throughout the United States, Canada, and within the U.S. Armed Forces.

His scholarly contributions have shaped the field internationally. Dr. Brown has authored or co-authored more than 600 scientific papers and medical writings, contributed to numerous medical textbooks, and delivered hundreds of lectures around the world. He was named to Castle Connolly’s Best Doctors in America for twenty consecutive years and received the Life Achievement Honor Award from the American Academy of Ophthalmology. He is also an original charter member of the Retina Hall of Fame.

Among his most influential contributions is the development of Value-Based Medicine, a framework for evaluating healthcare by how much it improves both the length and quality of patients’ lives.