Paul Brenner, M.D., Ph.D.

With deep sadness, we announce the passing of our dear colleague and friend Dr. Paul
Brenner. Paul died peacefully on June 21st at Scripps Memorial Hospital, the same place
he started his successful career as a prominent OB/GYN physician approximately 60 years
ago. All of us at SDCRI, SDCC, his family, friends, and the San Diego community celebrate
his wonderful life. Dr. Brenner was truly the most outstanding physician, colleague, friend,
Teacher and Leader that we have ever known. A true Holy Man.

During the few days that Dr. Brenner was in the hospital, he was surrounded by his loving
family. Dr. Vicario had the honor to be with Dr. Paul, his devoted wife Deborah, their
children, and grandchildren during his last days. It was a very emotional, inspiring,
peaceful, loving, healing, and Sacred time, just what Dr. Brenner wished for.

The San Diego Cancer Research Institute (SDCRI) team is deeply grateful for the SD
community’s love and support of Paul over the many decades, and especially over the last
several years. Paul truly loved everyone he worked with and he could feel everyone’s
profound love towards him.

Below is a summary of Dr. Brenner’s professional career.

With much love and deep gratitude,
The San Diego Cancer Research Institute (SDCRI) Family

 

Dr. Paul H. Brenner, M.D., Ph.D. was a prominent, successful, acclaimed, and venerable
physician, surgeon, OB/GYN, a gynecologic oncologist, and counseling psychologist. Dr.
Brenner was the former Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scripps
Memorial Hospital, former Professor and Director of Female Cancer Surgery at UCSD
School of Medicine, Director of Psychosocial Oncology at the San Diego Cancer Research
Institute (SDCRI) and the San Diego Cancer Center (SDCC)/UCSD Health System. He was the
author of numerous books and had lectured throughout the United States, Europe and
Asia on the psychology of health and illness and the unconscious patterns that run our
lives. Also, corporations such as Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Disney, Disney International,
Fleetwood International and Rhino Records have used Dr. Brenner’s “Family Triangle
Process” for team building and to further their understanding of human behavior.

Dr. Brenner began his career in academic and clinical medicine as an OB/GYN with a sub-
specialty in Female Oncology. During a sabbatical, he serendipitously began to counsel
patients with life-threatening illnesses. As a result, his life dramatically changed. He left
the practice of medicine as he had known it and saw one person a day with a chronic or
terminal illness.

These wise, transparent individuals became his teachers. Dr. Brenner learned the
relationship between emotions, health, and illness. For him, health became the
appreciation and acceptance of life, self, and others. This led Dr. Brenner to search for
those repetitive, unconscious patterns that set the stage for illness. This understanding
also helped him manage his own cancer.

Fascinated by how emotions integrate the mind and body, he obtained a doctorate in
counseling psychology. Dr. Brenner also studied trans-cultural and integrative healing
in South America, Taiwan, and China. In his last 50 years, he was in search of “what makes
an individual chronically ill or well.” This had taken him through the fields of Obstetrics and
Gynecology, Surgical Oncology, and Counseling Psychology, from birth to death. He
believed the answer could finally be found in the new field of Epigenetics – the study of
those environmental factors that affect the expression of a gene.

Dr. Brenner was the author of several books, including “Health is a Question of
Balance”, “A Shared Creation”, “Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes”, “Buddha in the
Waiting Room” and “Love Made Visible”. He was a member of the Life Wellness Institute
of San Diego and a consultant for Praxis Creative Leadership Systems, which specialized in
executive coaching, team building, and organizational leadership development.

His career also led him to be the Director of Psychosocial Oncology and Support Group
Coordinator at the San Diego Cancer Research Institute and the San Diego Cancer Center.
He was in the Founding Board of the American Holistic Medical Association, a past Health
Director of the Center for Healing Arts, past Director of Project Sharing-Hospice Outreach
Program in San Diego, past member of the Board of Directors of the American Holistic
Medical Association, former Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at
Scripps Memorial Hospital and former Professor and Director of Female Cancer Surgery,
UCSD School of Medicine.

Dr. Brenner’s honors included: The University of California San Diego School of Medicine
Physicians Teaching Award, The San Diego Enlightenment Award, and the Life Devotion Award
received in Taiwan. He has appeared on Public Television and moderated the award-
winning KPBS series: “Healing Through Communication”.

Dr. Brenner received his B.A. from Brown University, his M.D. from New York Medical
College and held an American Cancer Fellowship in Female Oncology (Gynecological
Oncology). He received his Ph.D. in Psychology from The International University of
Professional Psychology.

Dr. Brenner’s last active professional role was as Director of Psychosocial Oncology at the
San Diego Cancer Research Institute (SDCRI) and San Diego Cancer Center/UCSD Health
System in Encinitas and Vista from 2005 till 2015. While working with us, and even after,
until his last days, he supported countless lives: Patients, Caregivers, cancer center Staff,
Nurses, Doctors, Integrative Oncology Practitioners, and the San Diego Community at large.

 

Dr. Brenner’s Musings

Videos Links

Care for a snippet of history? We recently found this old video that was recorded not too long after Dr. Brenner joined the San Diego Cancer Center and SDCRI!

More About Dr. Brenner

Dr. Paul Brenner is a physician and counseling psychologist. He is the author of numerous books and has lectured throughout the United States, Europe and Asia on the psychology of health and illness and the unconscious patterns that run our lives. Also, corporations such as Wal-Mart, Microsoft, Disney, Disney International, Fleetwood International, and Rhino Records have used Dr. Brenner’s “Family Triangle Process” for team building and understanding the reason why individuals fall into given categories when tested by various psychological inventories.

Dr. Brenner began his career in academic and clinical medicine as an OB/GYN with a sub-specialty in Female Oncology. During a sabbatical, he serendipitously began to counsel patients with life-threatening illnesses. As a result, his life dramatically changed. He left the practice of medicine as he had known it and saw one person a day with a chronic or terminal illness.

These wise, transparent individuals became his teachers. Dr. Brenner learned the relationship between emotions and health and illness. For him, health became the appreciation and acceptance of life, self, and others. This led Dr. Brenner to search for those repetitive, unconscious patterns that set the stage for illness. This understanding also helped him manage his own cancer.

Fascinated by how emotions integrate the mind and body, he obtained a doctorate in counseling psychology. Dr. Brenner has also studied trans-cultural and integrative healing in South America, Taiwan, and China. For the past 50 years, he has been in search of “what makes an individual chronically ill or well.” This has taken him through the fields of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Surgical Oncology to Counseling Psychology, from birth to death. He believes the answer can finally be found in the new field of Epigenetics – the study of those environmental factors that affect the expression of a gene.

Dr. Brenner is the author of Health is a Question of Balance, A Shared Creation, Seeing Your Life Through New Eyes, Buddha in the Waiting Room and Love Made Visible. He is a member of the Life Wellness Institute of San Diego and a consultant for Praxis Creative Leadership Systems, which specializes in executive coaching, team building, and organizational leadership development.

His career has also led him to be the Director of Psychosocial Oncology and Support Group Coordinator at the San Diego Cancer Research Institute and the San Diego Cancer Center, Director of SafeReach Institute, past member of the Board of Directors of the American Holistic Medical Association, past Health Director of the Center for Healing Arts, past Director of Project Sharing-Hospice Out Reach Program, the Founding Board of American Holistic Medical Association, former Chairman of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scripps Memorial Hospital and former Professor and Director of Female Cancer Surgery, UCSD School of Medicine.

Dr. Brenner’s honors include the Life Devotion Award received in Taiwan, The San Diego Enlightenment Award and The University of California San Diego School of Medicine Physicians Teaching Award. He has appeared on Public Television and moderated the award-winning K.P.B.S series, Healing Through Communication.

Dr. Brenner received his B.A. from Brown University, his M.D. from New York Medical College and held an American Cancer Fellowship in Female Oncology. He received his Ph.D. in psychology from The International University of Professional Psychology. He is presently at the San Diego Cancer Research Institute (SDCRI) and the Life Wellness Center in San Diego.

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