Brandon Brown Medical Laboratory Scientist Lead
CommonSpirit Health
Graduating Class: 2025
Industry: Health Science and Science, Technology, Engineering & Mathematics
BIO
Brandon J.W. Brown, M.S., MLS(ASCP)
Medical Laboratory Scientist Lead | Public Health Advocate | Health Equity Advocate | Community Leader
Brandon J.W. Brown is a healthcare professional whose career blends scientific precision with community impact. As a Medical Laboratory Scientist Lead at CommonSpirit Health, he oversees clinical laboratory operations, ensures quality and accuracy in diagnostic testing, and mentors emerging laboratory professionals. His leadership in the clinical sciences is grounded in a decade of experience advancing healthcare access and operational excellence across both private, public and nonprofit settings.
Before transitioning to CommonSpirit Health, Brandon served as a Prevention Services Coordinator at Colorado Health Network, where he championed harm reduction and public health initiatives supporting some of Colorado’s most vulnerable communities. His cross-sector experience spanning laboratory science, public health, and leadership development reflects his commitment to building systems rooted in compassion, integrity, and inclusion.
A proud 2025 graduate of the Urban Leadership Foundation of Colorado Connect Program, Brandon also completed the Queer Compass Leadership Institute and the Piton Mid-Career Fellowship. These experiences deepened his philosophy of stewardship, authenticity, and service-driven leadership. He continues to apply these principles in both healthcare and community spaces, empowering others to lead with empathy and purpose.
Beyond his professional roles, Brandon is passionate about mentorship, equity in healthcare, and civic engagement. He currently serves on local commissions and community boards, using his voice to advance inclusive policy and representation. When not in the lab, he finds joy in travel, connection, and storytelling living out his belief that leadership begins with authenticity and the courage to serve others.
EDUCATION
Executive MBA, Quantic School of Business and Technology-February 2026
MS, Clinical Laboratory Science, Rutgers University-School of Health Professions, Newark, NJ-2019
BS, Biology, Loyola Marymount University, Los Angeles, CA-2008
WORK EXPERIENCE
Colorado Health Network, Denver, CO.
Prevention Services Coordinator
• Provide individualized risk reduction counseling to PWUD (People Who Use Drugs), as well as people living with HIV/AIDS; members of the LGBTQ+ community; people experiencing or at risk for homelessness; and other populations that may benefit from education and services related to sexual health and/or harm reduction.
• Maintain current understanding of overdose, HIV/HCV/STI prevention issues and trends.
• Maintain and develop community partnerships, referral network, and provides linkage to care as needed.
• Implemented process improvements for supplies, client flow, data entry, and service delivery.
• Co-authored the Prevention Services Restorative Justice process.
• Created partnerships with Wholly Kicks, The Local Lighthouse, and GraceFull Home.
• Sourced resources from Wholly Kicks, Costco Wholesale, Smilemakers, and Worthy Socks worth approximately $10,000 retail altogether.
Denver Health, Denver, CO.
Medical Laboratory Scientist-Core Lab
• Assisted with ongoing laboratory compliance efforts and verification projects using statistical tools (EP Evaluator).
• Ensured regulatory readiness, workflow optimization, and quality assurance through routine audits and maintenance in hematology, coagulation, blood gases, urinalysis, and chemistry.
• Supported cross-functional collaboration with clinical lab teams for process improvement.
Vitalant Research Institute, Denver, CO.
Research Associate III
• Managed project timelines and deliverables for instrumentation and software upgrades, coordinating across research teams.
• Authored, reviewed, and revised quick guides, policies, processes, & SOPs.
• Served as interim Flow Cytometry Team Lead (02/2022-06/2022; BD Lyric) & signed off on reports released to clients.
• Led training initiatives as a Corporate Trainer, enhancing team onboarding, continuing education, and process adoption.
• Inventory Management (planning, procurement, tracking, optimization, & storing).
• Served as interim Clinical Research Coordinator (01/2022-06/2022) & organized/recorded test data/database for report generation for internal/external clients.
• Drafted technical documents such as deviation reports, corrective action reports, and trend analyses.
Rocky Mountain Regional VA Medical Center, Aurora, CO.
Laboratory Information Manager
• Develop department goals, objectives, and procedures with key stakeholders.
• Part of strategic planning team for test utilization, to achieve operational goals and identify improvements in day-to-day operations of the Clinical & Anatomical Pathology Labs.
• Project planned & managed LIS-related projects across all departments within the laboratory.
• Designed, built, tested, implemented, and maintained test coding, mapping (Data Innovations), and workload recording for laboratory resulting, productivity, & billing reporting.
• Responsible for compliance with regulatory agency requirements (CLIA/CAP) related to information systems and performed LIS audits as needed.
• Integral part of the transition team that oversaw and brought up the clinical & anatomical laboratory in the new facility.
UCHealth, Aurora, CO.
Medical Laboratory Scientist-Virology/Molecular Dx/Transfusion Services
• Project Lead/Subject Matter Expert for the implementation of EPIC & SafeTrace Tx Lab Information Systems.
• Performed Blood Bank manual & automated Testing via Echo & NEO analyzers (advanced operator).
• Performed transfusion audits per organization policy.
• Provided the Transfusion Medicine Manager C:T ratios quarterly to inform lab & medicine
specialties administration data to inform better blood product utilization institution wide.
• Viral Culture Tube Reading & IFA staining techniques.
• Molecular Testing utilizing GeneXpert, LightCyclers, Roche COBAS AmpliPrep/Taqman, & Biofire FilmArray.
Areas Of Expertise
• PWUD counseling, Motivational interviewing, Community Engagement, Staff education/training, Project Management, Stakeholder Engagement, Research/Research Coordination, Data Collection & Management, Quality Assurance, Laboratory Medicine Theory, Laboratory Automation (Sysmex 2100D/XN-1000PR/XN-2000/UF-
PUBLICATIONS
P-BB-1 – Characterization of Residual Cell Populations in Leukoreduction System (LRS) Disposable Sets Following Apheresis Platelet Collections
Session: AM22-66-P – Abstract Authors’ Poster Presentations
Program: Posters
Primary Category: Blood Bank/Blood Center (donor, collection, testing, processing)
Abstract
Background/Case Studies: Frequent plateletpheresis has been associated with T-cell lymphopenia in platelet donors. The residual cell content of Trima LRS chambers was characterized to determine the impact of plasma rinseback, a feature of the Trima Accel system, on the number of cells returned to the donor.
Study Design/Methods: Disposable tubing sets were obtained following apheresis platelet collections on Trima Accel V7 (Terumo BCT) in 100% plasma with ‘standard rinse back’ or with added ‘plasma rinse back’ selected prior to collection (n=4 each). Residual cells were harvested by gravity from the entire disposable tubing set, separating cells harvested from the LRS chamber and the channel. Cells were analyzed on a hematology analyzer and by flow cytometry using antibodies as outlined in the table below. Flow cytometry counting beads were used to calculate absolute numbers of cells.
Results/Findings: Average platelet yields of the collections were 4.5±1.2x1011for procedures with ‘standard rinse back’ and 8.0±2.2×1011 for procedures with added ‘plasma rinse back’. Hematology analyzer data show a 22% decrease in residual WBCs in the entire disposable tubing set after plasma rinse back compared to the standard rinse back. This decrease is mainly observed in the channel (54% decrease, p<0.05) rather than the LRS chamber (17% increase). Similar trends were observed by flow cytometry. There were no significant differences (p<0.05) comparing subsets of cells with and without plasma rinse back by flow cytometry.
Conclusion: The additional plasma rinse back step with Trima V7 may increase the number of WBCs returned to the donor and at the same time retain sufficient WBC numbers in the chamber that may be utilized for research purposes.
TABLE: Residual WBC After Return to the Donor
Entire Disposable Tubing Set
LRS Chamber
Channel
Plasma rinse back
–
+
–
+
–
+
WBC CD45+ (x 109)
11±3.3
7.7±2.8
2.5±1.3
3.8±1.9
8.0±2
3.9±1.1
T-cells CD4+ (x 109)
3.2±1.3
2.4±0.9
1.0±0.6
1.3±0.7
2.3±0.8
1.1±0.4
T-cells CD8+ (x 109)
1.7±0.6
0.8±0.4
0.5±0.2
0.5±0.3
1.2±0.5
0.3±0.1
B-cells CD19+ (x 108)
7.6±3.2
8.8±4.8
2.3±1.0
4.5±2.3
5.4±2.4
4.3±2.5
Monocytes CD14+CD16- (x 108)
8.0±3.4
11±4.1
1.8±1.3
4.9±2.1
6.1±2.3
6.3±2.7
Neutrophils CD16+CD15+ (x 108)
3.4±2.7
1.3±0.9
0.3±0.2
0.4±0.1
3.1±2.6
0.9±0.8
Eosinophils CD16-CD15+ (x 107)
35±56
0.7±0.5
6.2±10
0.2±0.1
29±46
0.4±0.5
Stem cells CD34+ (x 108)
2.2±0.9
2.4±1.2
0.8±0.2
1.5±1.1
1.4±0.8
0.9±0.3
Platelets CD61+ (x 109)
7.6±2.2
7.1±2.3
2.8±1.5
3.9±1.0
4.8±1.2
3.2±1.7
Presenting Author
K
Kathleen Kelly
Vitalant Research Institute
Authors
S
Sharon Sen
Vitalant Research Institute
B
Brandon Brown
Vitalant Research Institute
D
Larry J Dumont
Pathology, University of Colorado
M
Susanne Marschner
Vitalant Research Institute
https://aabb.confex.com/aabb/