HMRI is mourning the loss of much-loved Development Officer Karen Brown, who passed away on the morning of February 23 after a courageous battle with breast cancer.

Karen Brown
10/10/64 – 23/02/13
 
HMRI is mourning the loss of much-loved Development Officer Karen Brown, who passed away on the morning of February 23 after a courageous battle with breast cancer.

Karen joined HMRI in November 2004 as Development Manager after building her reputation for philanthropy with the Newcastle Permanent, where she had worked in community relations and Foundation activities since 1997.

She brought with her a deep understanding of the donor perspective, appreciating fully what the act of giving truly meant. Her empathy for donors, coupled with a deep interest and respect for medical research, underpinned her success at HMRI.

Karen quickly became a well-known face of the Institute as she first consolidated, then proceeded to grow, the philanthropic base. When she stepped down from the role of Development Manager in 2010, the annual financial audit reported a fundraising distribution to researchers of $1.6 million – up from $658,000 the year before Karen joined HMRI.

At the heart of this growth were relationships. Karen was as happy having cups of tea with her “lovely ladies” as she was in meetings with major corporate donors or helping to coordinate events like the HMRI Ball and the Gastronomic Lunch of the Year.

Karen’s own experience with cancer afforded her an intimate understanding of the hope that medical research provides, which carried through into her advocacy.

Showing incredible spirit and tenacity in the face of illness, she was always looking forward with a focus on personal and professional goals – one such goal was to return to work at HMRI, where she remained until early this month.

Such determination and passion continues to inspire her colleagues, while her proud legacy manifests in HMRI’s standing as a professional, donor- and community-focused organisation.

Karen leaves a husband, Greg, two daughters Ali and Hannah, as well as her mother, brother and extended families in Australia and New Zealand. She was 48.

Professor Michael Nilsson
HMRI Director
Burges Professor of Medical Science