Darren Brenner is an epidemiologist and data scientist at the University of Calgary where he leads a program of research focused on using big data and precision health analytics to examine cancer risk and outcomes. He has made significant contributions to cancer control research in Canada and established a nationally recognized program focused on prevention and screening. He has led several projects examining the intersection of lifestyle, environment and molecular pathways on cancer risk and progression. Dr. Brenner’s research has highlighted the major impact of modifiable risk factors on cancer incidence and the preventable burden of cancer in this country.
He was the co-leader of the Canadian Population Attributable Risk of Cancer (ComPARe) project. His team is also actively engaged in studying biological markers of risk stratification and prediction for colorectal cancer screening and patient outcomes. To date, he has published over 160 peer-reviewed articles in leading journals in the areas of oncology and epidemiology. He completed his PhD at the University of Toronto followed by a post-doctoral fellowship at the International Agency for Research on Cancer of the World Health Organization in Lyon, France. Since 2015 he has worked as a Research Scientist in the Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Prevention Research of Alberta Health Services. Since 2020, Darren has served as the co-chair of the Canadian Cancer Statistics Advisory Committee. He is the chair for the OncoSim All-Cancers modeling working group. In 2019, he was the recipient of the William E. Rawls Prize from the Canadian Cancer Society for his research efforts. Dr. Brenner is also a co-lead and Director for the Oncology Outcomes Research Initiative at the University of Calgary.
Dr Brenner currently holds the Armstrong Investigatorship in Molecular Epidemiology.