ProfessorGina Brown

Prof Brown's research in colorectal cancer staging set the national and global benchmarks for imaging assessment of colon and rectal cancer patients before and during treatment . These improved staging methods reduced local and distant failure in high risk patients whilst avoiding overtreatment of low risk patients and resulted MRI based strategies being incorporated into several guidelines such as peer review measures, UK NICE and global guidelines.
She contributed to NHS workforce development through teaching on large scale national training initiatives delivered by the Pelican Cancer Foundation and funded through the Department of Health: the National TME Multidisciplinary Team Development programme (2003-6), teaching the role of high resolution MRI in staging to 180 MDT teams; she was Faculty lead in Radiology for the Low Rectal Cancer National Development programme (National Cancer Action Team), (2010/2013) for improving outcomes in patients with low rectal cancers (147 colorectal MDTs and 151 NHS trusts); Invited faculty lead in Imaging of Significant Polyps and Early Colorectal Cancer national SPECC programme and the IMPACT initiative for improving MDT decision making and cancer care. She was Imaging Lead for the National Cancer Intelligence Network to improve cancer reporting standards and datasets in NHS cancer care. Invited expert and co-author of pan-European consensus guidelines for optimal treatment of colorectal cancer, EURECCA colorectal (2014). Author of imaging standards for the latest European (ESMO) 2017 Oncology guidelines for the management of rectal cancer. Invited to expert panel for ASCO Neoadjuvant Therapy Guidelines for Rectal Cancer 2024.
She has collaborated with international research groups at Ontario Cancer Care (linking in with MERCURY studies as chief investigator, the RCR CASPAR initiative introducing reporting templates for cancer staging, and the Beyond TME collaborative group). She has worked with research groups in Sao Paolo, McGill Universities Hospitals and the MD Anderson. She has been the Radiology Faculty Expert for colorectal cancer quality improvement initiatives in Denmark and Norway, training several hundred multidisciplinary clinicians in colorectal cancer management.