Brian Patrick Monahan (born 1960) is the

Attending Physician of the United States Congress The Attending Physician of the United States Congress is the physician responsible for the medical welfare of the members of the United States Congress and the justices of the Supreme Court of the United States. The Attending Physician is tasked ...

and the

United States Supreme Court The Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) is the highest court in the federal judiciary of the United States. It has ultimate appellate jurisdiction over all U.S. federal court cases, and over state court cases that turn on question ...

and holds the rank of

rear admiral Rear admiral is a flag officer rank used by English-speaking navies. In most European navies, the equivalent rank is called counter admiral. Rear admiral is usually immediately senior to commodore and immediately below vice admiral. It is ...

in the

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the naval warfare, maritime military branch, service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is the world's most powerful navy with the largest Displacement (ship), displacement, at 4.5 millio ...

. Monahan was nominated to the position and rank by

United States President The president of the United States (POTUS) is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president directs the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed For ...

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

in January 2009. He previously served as the director of

hematology Hematology (American and British English spelling differences#ae and oe, spelled haematology in British English) is the branch of medicine concerned with the study of the cause, prognosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases related to bloo ...

and

medical oncology Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with the study, treatment, diagnosis, and prevention of cancer. A medical professional who practices oncology is an ''oncologist''. The name's etymological origin is the Greek word ὄγκος (''� ...

at the

National Naval Medical Center National may refer to: Common uses * Nation or country ** Nationality – a ''national'' is a person who is subject to a nation, regardless of whether the person has full rights as a citizen Places in the United States * National, Maryland, ce ...

. He is a Master of The

American College of Physicians The American College of Physicians (ACP) is a Philadelphia-based national organization of internal medicine physicians, who specialize in the diagnosis, treatment, and care of adults. With 161,000 members, ACP is the largest medical-specialty or ...

and a Member of the Academy of Medicine. Monahan is an internal medicine and

and

(HMO) doctor and researcher, and from 1987-1989 Monahan served as the battalion surgeon for the 3rd Battalion 6th Marine Regiment of the

2nd Marine Division The 2nd Marine Division (2nd MARDIV) is a division of the United States Marine Corps, which forms the ground combat element of the II Marine Expeditionary Force (II MEF). The division is based at Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune, North Carolina a ...

prior to his training in internal medicine at the

. He served as professor and chairman of medicine at The

Uniformed Services University Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (USU) is a health science university and professional school of the U.S. federal government. The primary mission of the school is to prepare graduates for service to the U.S. at home and abroa ...

of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland, prior to his present assignment. He returned permanently in the spring of 2008 as the assistant attending physician. In May 2003, Monahan was presented with the 18th Annual Clinical Investigation Program Award for his project entitled, ''A Pilot Study of

Oxaliplatin Oxaliplatin, sold under the brand name Eloxatin among others, is a cancer medication (platinum-based antineoplastic class) used to treat colorectal cancer. It is given by intravenous, infusion into a vein. Common side effects include paresth ...

and Capecitibine in Adult Patients with Refractory Solid Tumors''. The three-year project tested the effectiveness of an anti-cancer drug on 100 patients with

colon cancer Colorectal cancer (CRC), also known as bowel cancer, colon cancer, or rectal cancer, is the development of cancer from the colon or rectum (parts of the large intestine). Signs and symptoms may include blood in the stool, a change in bowel ...

. With the

National Cancer Institute The National Cancer Institute (NCI) coordinates the United States National Cancer Program and is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), which is one of eleven agencies that are part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. ...

, Monahan served as the principal investigator on clinical trials of novel anti-cancer drugs and discovered the unexpected sudden death associated with the first non-sedating antihistamines like

Seldane Terfenadine is an antihistamine formerly used for the treatment of allergic conditions. It was brought to market by Hoechst Marion Roussel (now Sanofi) and was marketed under various brand names, including Seldane in the United States, Triludan ...

.( JAMA. 1990;264(21):2788-2790) Monahan was Navy specialty leader for hematology and medical oncology from 2001-2008, chairman of the U. S. Military Cancer Institute Medical Oncology Program and associate director for federal compliance and human subjects protections from 2002-2008. His work with the

American Society of Clinical Oncology The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) is a professional organization representing physicians of all oncology sub-specialties who care for people with cancer. Founded in 1964 by Fred Ansfield, Harry Bisel, Herman Freckman, Arnoldus G ...

was instrumental in the creation of the first national in-training competency examination in medical oncology in 2008. Monahan is also a medical educator at the

(USU) Department of Medicine where he has been selected Outstanding Teacher of the Year multiple times. He became assistant professor of medicine at USU in 1991 and was promoted to associate professor in 1999 and professor of medicine and

pathology Pathology is the study of disease. The word ''pathology'' also refers to the study of disease in general, incorporating a wide range of biology research fields and medical practices. However, when used in the context of modern medical treatme ...

in 2006.F. Edward Hebert School of Medicine: Brian Monahan Bio
/ref> He was named the Outstanding Teacher of the Year of The

in 2000. Monahan was praised for his approach to advising members of Congress about

Covid-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

Education

Monahan received his B.S. ''summa cum laude'' from

Fairfield University Fairfield University is a private university, private Society of Jesus, Jesuit university in Fairfield, Connecticut. It was founded by the Jesuits in 1942. In 2023, the university had about 5,000 full-time undergraduate students and 1,200 gra ...

and M.D. ''magna cum laude'' from the

Georgetown University School of Medicine Georgetown University School of Medicine, a medical school opened in 1851, is one of Georgetown University's five graduate schools, and is the most applied-to medical school in the nation with a matriculation rate of 1.40%. It is located on Res ...

. He trained in internal medicine and later hematology and medical oncology (HMO) at National Naval Medical Center (NNMC). He is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine in internal medicine, hematology and medical oncology.

References

JAMA. 1990;264(21):2788-2790.

External links

Official US Navy Biography

{{DEFAULTSORT:Monahan, Brian 1960 births Living people Employees of the United States Congress Fairfield University alumni Georgetown University School of Medicine alumni Medical educators Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences faculty People from Fairfield, Connecticut United States Navy Medical Corps officers United States Navy admirals 21st-century American politicians Members of the National Academy of Medicine American oncologists American hematologists