Officers Archives - Sanford Burnham Prebys

Leadership Type: Officers

Dr. Brenner was named president and chief executive officer of Sanford Burnham Prebys in September 2022 after serving as vice chancellor for health sciences at UC San Diego and dean of its school of medicine for an unprecedented 15 years, during which he oversaw the launch and expansion of numerous multidisciplinary efforts, including the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, the Institute for Genomic Medicine, the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, the UC San Diego Sanford Clinical Stem Cell Program, and the C3 Cancer Center Consortium (comprising UC San Diego, the Salk Institute for Biological Studies and Sanford Burnham Prebys). 

Previously, he served as chair of the Department of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of New York Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University and, before that, as Chief of Gastroenterology and Hepatology at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

As a distinguished physician-scientist, Brenner is a recognized leader in the field of gastroenterology research, with more than 200 peer-reviewed publications, two patents and ranking among Highly Cited Researchers by Web of Science and Clarivate Analytics.

He is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine; past president of the Association of American Physicians and former editor of the journal Gastroenterology (2001 to 2006).

He is currently deputy editor of the journal PNAS Nexus.

Education and Training

1988: Fellowship, Gastroenterology, UC San Diego
1986: Fellowship, Genetics & Biochemistry, National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Bethesda, MD
1985: Intern & Residency, Internal Medicine, Yale University
1979: MD, Medicine, Yale University
1975: BS, Biology, Yale University

Awards, Honors and Recognition

2005: Fellow (FACP), American College of Physicians
1986: Bomedical Scholar, Pew Foundation

Other Appointments and Memberships

Alcoholic Beverage Medical Research Foundation
American Society for Clinical Investigation
Association of American Physicians
American College of Physicians
American Gastroenterological Association
American Clinical and Climatological Association

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Michael Jones is Chief Financial Officer and Corporate Treasurer at Sanford Burnham Prebys, with nearly 30 years of professional finance and operations experience, 20 years’ of that working at academic research institutions.

Jones joined Sanford Burnham Prebys in 2024, coming from The Lundquist Institute for Biomedical Innovation at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center where he was senior vice president and CFO.

Prior to Lundquist, Jones served as CFO and in leadership positions at the Florida Institute of Technology, the Keck Graduate Institute, a member of The Claremont Colleges, and California State University, Long Beach.

Jones received his Bachelor of Arts degree in public administration from CSU, Long Beach, and a Master of Business Administration degree from Pepperdine University. He is a peer reviewer with WASC Senior College & University Commission, which accredits over 200 institutions in the United States and around the world to ensure high standards of academic quality and effectiveness.

He is also a finance and operations consultant for higher education institutions and has been an analyst in both industry and government.

Adrienne Crown is the Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary at Sanford Burnham Prebys, where she leads strategic legal oversight and governance across the Institute’s operations. Her expertise spans nonprofit governance, employment law, contract management, institutional operations, and research administration.

Since joining the Institute in 2010, Ms. Crown has held key leadership roles—including Deputy General Counsel and Chief of Compliance—where she spearheaded enterprise-wide initiatives that enhanced transparency, strengthened compliance infrastructure, and reduced institutional risk. Her work has contributed to measurable improvements in operational efficiency and accountability.

Ms. Crown works closely with the board to align legal and operational priorities with the Institute’s strategic goals, ensuring that governance and compliance frameworks support long-term institutional success.

Earlier in her career, she served as Managing Editor of Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry and Bioorganic & Medicinal Chemistry Letters, contributing to the dissemination of cutting-edge scientific research—an experience that deepened her understanding of the research enterprise she now supports legally.

She earned her B.A. in American History from the University of California, San Diego, and her J.D., cum laude, from Thomas Jefferson School of Law, where she focused on regulatory law.