Russell A. Brown is an American physician and computer scientist. He is the inventor of a method for directing stereotactic surgery

Stereotactic surgery

Stereotactic surgery or stereotaxy is a minimally invasive form of surgical intervention which makes use of a three-dimensional coordinates system to locate small targets inside the body and to perform on them some action such as ablation, biopsy, lesion, injection, stimulation, implantation,...

 using computed tomography

Computed tomography

X-ray computed tomography or Computer tomography , is a medical imaging method employing tomography created by computer processing...

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Russell A. Brown earned MD and PhD degrees, and completed a pathology residency at the University of Utah

University of Utah

The University of Utah, also known as the U or the U of U, is a public, coeducational research university in Salt Lake City, Utah, United States. The university was established in 1850 as the University of Deseret by the General Assembly of the provisional State of Deseret, making it Utah's oldest...

. While a medical student on rotation in the research laboratory of his mentor, James A. Nelson, professor of radiology, he invented an ingenious method for directing stereotactic surgery using computed tomography. Together with Theodore S. Roberts, professor of neurosurgery, and Trent H. Wells, Jr., an engineer, he developed the Brown-Roberts-Wells (BRW) stereotactic instrument that embodies his invention and is used throughout the world. His invention stimulated intense interest in stereotaxy

Stereotaxy

Stereotaxy from stereo meaning solidity, and tactile meaning touch) refers to any technique that involves the recording and reproduction of three-dimensional haptic information or creating an illusion of depth to the sense of touch within an otherwise-flat surface...

 and radiosurgery

Radiosurgery

Radiosurgery is a medical procedure that allows non-invasive treatment of benign and malignant tumors. It is also known as stereotactic radiotherapy, when used to target lesions in the brain, and stereotactic body radiotherapy when used to target lesions in the body...

. It is used in a number of stereotactic and radiosurgical instruments today.