Spring 2026
By Michael Quinn
Photography by Sam Ogden
Brian and Jane Crowley are longtime supporters of Dana-Farber who made their first gift nearly two decades ago to advance melanoma research in memory of Brian’s sister. So, when Brian was later diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), he and Jane knew just where to go for care and how they could help improve the lives of other patients too.
Recently, the Crowleys made a generous gift to support the Jane and Brian Crowley Fund for CLL Research, which advances investigations led by Brian’s doctor, Jennifer Brown, MD, PhD, director of Dana-Farber’s Center for Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia and the Worthington and Margaret Collette Professor of Medicine in the Field of Hematologic Oncology at Harvard Medical School. Motivated by their appreciation for Brown’s care and trust in her expertise, they provided pivotal resources for her lab to use without restriction rather than tying it to a specific project. As a result, Brown is free to apply these funds where the opportunity and impact can be greatest, accelerating groundbreaking CLL research to uncover familial factors in disease onset and progression, explore ways to overcome treatment resistance, and develop next generation therapies that minimize side effects.
Brown’s lab has made significant strides in all three priority areas. For example, her team found that patients with inherited ATM mutations were more likely to have relatives with CLL, highlighting genetic risk and supporting more personalized monitoring and treatment.
Additionally, they published findings from a study showing that the longer CLL patients remain on targeted therapy, the more likely they are to develop specific genetic mutations leading to resistance. Other mechanisms seem to play a greater role in treatment relapse, an insight that may guide researchers in developing new ways to overcome it. Lastly, Brown’s team demonstrated the promise of a novel combination therapy with enhanced precision in attacking cancer cells, offering a safer and more effective option for patients with untreated CLL. These and other practice-changing advances have earned Brown widespread recognition for research excellence, including being named numerous times to the annual Highly Cited Researchers list of the Institute for Scientific Information at Clarivate, which identifies investigators who produced multiple papers ranking in the top 1% by citations for their discipline and year of publication. At the same time, she is renowned for her compassionate care as a clinician and has been repeatedly included on Boston magazine’s annual lists of “Top Doctors.” The Crowleys trust that Brown will make an even bigger impact with their gift, pursuing breakthroughs that benefit patients everywhere. “Dr. Brown is an accomplished leader in the lab and clinic,” said Brian. “We are honored to support her team and play a role in their progress.”