PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Hospital medical staff has honored oral and maxillofacial surgeon Dr. Steven Brown with the 2018 Milton W. Hamolsky Outstanding Physician Award.
Brown, also a consultant to the Samuels Sinclair Dental Center, joined Rhode Island Hospital in 2003.
Three of Brown’s dentistry colleagues, Dr. Eileen Danaher, Dr. Sara DiNardo and Dr. Elizabeth Benz nominated him for the award.
Benz is the director and DiNardo is the assistant director at Samuels Sinclair Dental Center, which provides dental services to children and to intellectually or developmentally disabled patients of all ages. Their letter nominating Brown praised his clinical skill, his warmth and empathy with his patients, and his love of teaching. The nomination also noted Brown’s history of treating the most complex cases.
Danaher read part of the letter at the January annual meeting of the Rhode Island Hospital Medical Staff Association.
“While maintaining a busy practice in East Greenwich, [Brown would] arrive at the hospital to round on patients before and after his scheduled day. … Dr. Brown is rarely alone while making rounds in the hospital. He is often followed by plastics, pediatric, dental and [ear, nose and throat] residents, all of whom love him. Dr. Brown is constantly teaching and encouraging these residents,” she read.
The letter also noted Brown’s endearing bedside manner with dental center patients, many of whom are medically and behaviorally challenging to treat. Brown, who served for 12 years on active duty in the U.S. Army, volunteers his services through the Dental Lifeline Network, connecting medically fragile and disenfranchised patients with free care, and the Rhode Island Mission of Mercy, an annual free clinic.
“The Milton W. Hamolsky Physician of the Year Award is meant to honor doctors who have distinguished themselves with skill, leadership and professionalism,” said Dr. Latha Sivaprasad, chief medical officer of Rhode Island Hospital. “Dr. Brown meets and exceeds all of these marks and is an enormously valued member of our dental and surgical teams. Aside from being an excellent clinician, he is known to all here as an outstanding person. He is highly deserving of this award.”
Brown is also a clinical associate professor of surgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, as well as a consultant to the dental assistant program at the Community College of Rhode Island. He is involved in numerous professional societies, including the American Dental Association and the American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons.
Brown is a fellow of the Pierre Fauchard Academy and of the International College of Dentists. He has served multiple leadership roles, including as president of the Rhode Island Dental Association and as president of the Kent County Dental Society. He is the long-term delegate for RIDA and currently serves as the ADA’s district 1 deputy whip. He is also the delegate for the Rhode Island Society of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons and currently serves as the AAOMS district 1 caucus chair.
Prior to joining Rhode Island Hospital, Brown spent four years as a staff oral and maxillofacial surgeon at Winn Army Community Hospital in Fort Stewart, Ga.
Brown is currently researching antibiotic resistance in deep neck infections caused by dental sources.
Rob Borkowski is a PBN staff writer. Email him at Borkowski@PBN.com.
