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Medical student combines research, sustainability and community
By Amanda Starkes
Brandon Brower is leading cycling initiatives to support healthier, more sustainable transportation on campus
By Amanda Starkes
Fourth-year medical student Brandon Brower is making cycling a more practical choice at Western University, leading the recent installation of two bike repair stations on campus.
Supported by the Western Sustainable Impact Fund, the repair stations are part of a broader investment in active transportation.
"It's about making it easier for people to choose their bike to get around,” said Brower. “If something goes wrong, you can fix it right there and keep going.”
Through the Western Community for Active Transportation, a group led by medical students and emergency medicine residents, he is also promoting low-carbon commuting through initiatives like a campus-wide cycling challenge.
“I really fell in love with the cycling and sustainable transportation culture,” he said.
Medical student Brandon Brower co-led a project to install two bike repair stations on Western's campus, supported by the Western Sustainable Impact Fund. (Megan Morris/Schulich Medicine & Dentistry)
Brower grew up in the small town of Aylmer, Ont., home to roughly 8,000 people. With a grandfather who served as the town’s mayor for a decade, and a childhood rooted in community, his upbringing shaped his approach to medicine and service.
“A lot of my formative years were around community and rural life,” he said. “It helped me understand how connected people are.”
Brower’s interest in medicine began in high school, when his biology courses gave him a way to better understand the health conversations happening around him.
“I really liked being able to follow what my parents and grandparents were talking about,” he said. “It was meaningful to understand the decisions they were making about their health.”
That curiosity led him to pursue an undergraduate degree in medical sciences at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry, followed by a master's degree in pathology and laboratory medicine. While not a field he initially expected to study, the research-focused environment helped him discover new interests.
“I realized I really loved pattern recognition,” he said. “Learning the nuances of imaging – diagnosing cancer, staging disease and evaluating treatment – really drew me in.”
His research also explored the growing role of artificial intelligence (AI) in health care. As part of his graduate work, he contributed to a project that used AI to automate the assessment of protein biomarkers in breast cancer tissue.
“The goal was to see if this automation could be faster and more accurate than manual counting,” he said. “Ultimately, it helps ensure patients receive the right therapy faster.”
The protocol has since been integrated into clinical workflows at London Health Sciences Centre, enabling clinicians to make treatment decisions more efficiently.
As an avid runner, cyclist and weightlifter, Brower says that staying active helps him manage the demands of medical school.
“It’s a big part of my identity,” he said. “It keeps me mentally and physically sharp."
As he looks ahead to residency, Brower hopes to share that perspective more broadly. Starting in July, he will be pursuing diagnostic radiology, continuing at Schulich Medicine & Dentistry.
"Cycling is a simple way to build physical activity into our day,” he said. “If we can make it easier and more accessible, it becomes part of how we support people’s health.”