Women of Influence, a leading global organization dedicated to promoting gender equity in the workplace, has named Dr. Vivien Brown one of its Top 25 Women of Influence honourees in 2023.

Dr. Vivien Brown, MDCM, CCFP, FCFP, NCMP, is a Toronto-based family physician and author of two books on women’s health.  The most recent is The NEW Woman’s Guide to Healthy Aging. Eight proven ways to keep you vibrant, happy, and strong.  She is currently appointed to the Department of Family & Community Medicine at the University of Toronto, holding the rank of Assistant Professor. Award-winning and recognized for teaching on many levels, Dr. Brown’s major interests are in health promotion and prevention for women, continuing medical education, adult immunization, and vaccine-preventable illness. Having been recognized by The College of Family Physicians of Ontario as “Physician of the Year for the Region of Toronto,” Dr. Brown’s areas of focus and expertise have had an impact on the lives of many.

She is the Past President of the Federation of Medical Women of Canada and is the immediate past Vice President for North America for the Medical Women’s International Association. In March 2017, she was honoured to present HPV initiatives in Canada at the UN meetings for the Commission on the Status of Women. Dr. Brown also played a large role in expanding the eligibility for the HPV vaccine to cover self-identified boys in addition to girls. Most recently, in 2022, she initiated and is the chairperson for the Federation of Medical Women of Canada (FMWC) HPV Task Force to address Ontario’s school-based HPV immunization program. As a result of the pandemic and school closures, immunization rates dropped from approximately 60% in 2019 to less than 1% in 2021; thousands of adolescents were left vulnerable to HPV-related cancers and diseases. Dr. Brown’s work with the Task Force has been integral to assisting with and educating both self-identified girls and boys about HPV prevention.