D E V E L O P M E N T an d A L U M N I NEWS
Dr. Brian Williams Named Distinguished Alumni Award Recipient Brian Williams, M.D., M.B.A. (’91), was honored as the recipient of this year’s Distinguished Alumni Award during the Northeast Ohio Medical University (NEOMED) Commencement ceremony on May 18 at The University of Akron’s E.J. Thomas Performing Arts Center in Akron, Ohio. The Distinguished Alumni Award is the highest honor NEOMED bestows upon its graduates. The award recognizes an alumnus/alumna who has met and transcended his or her fundamental role as a health care provider to become a leader in the advancement of research, service and education. Dr. Williams currently serves as director, acute pain medicine/ regional anesthesia, ambulatory anesthesia and preoperative evaluation at the VA Pittsburgh HealthCare System. He is credited as a thought leader and one of several cofounders of the subspecialty of anesthesiology called “Ambulatory Regional Anesthesia.” This specialty entails the exclusive use of nerve blocks in place of general anesthesia for patients having complex orthopedic same-day surgery. It has had sweeping public health implications and his work has influenced patient care, patient satisfaction and health care economics. Dr. Williams is married to classmate Katherine Williams, M.D., M.P.H. (‘91), and they are the parents of four sons.
A lumni P rofile
Local NEOMED Alumnus with a Lifelong Passion for Primary Care Brady Steineck, M.D. (’08), always knew he wanted to practice medicine. Growing up in Northeast Ohio, it was his pediatrician and family medicine practitioners who made the most impact on him. “From the time I was a kid through my time at the University, it was those who practiced primary care who served as my mentors,” said Dr. Steineck. “It didn’t take long for me to decide that I wanted to specialize in primary care.” After earning his Doctor of Medicine degree in 2008 from NEOMED, Dr. Steineck completed his residency in family medicine at Aultman Hospital in Canton, Ohio. He is currently an attending physician at Community Health Care, Inc. in Louisville, Ohio. Dr. Steineck also provides part-time support to patients at the Aultman Weight Management Program at Aultman Hospital. In this role, Dr. Steineck feels that he is able to slow down compared to his busy days at the practice and talk to patients on a oneto-one basis about how they can incorporate diet and exercise into their lives. Dr. Steineck lives in Jackson Township, Ohio, with his wife Tiffany, who he met while taking ballroom dancing classes during his time at NEOMED, and their adopted six-year-old twins, Kenya and Kya. “My life is busy between work, spending time with my wife and the girls, and staying active,” said Dr. Steineck. “Every moment is rewarding – especially knowing that I have devoted my career to staying on the forefront of primary care and helping my patients to enjoy the best possible quality of life.”
Northeast Ohio Medical University Alumni Association President Mehool Patel, M.D., M.B.A. (’98), with Brian Williams, M.D., M.B.A. (’91), Distinguished Alumni Award recipient.
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While a student at NEOMED, Dr. Steineck was a Silk Scholar. The Fred F. Silk Charitable Foundation of Stark County, Ohio, has established two scholarship endowments for the Colleges of Medicine and Pharmacy. Up to eight scholarships are awarded each year to students whose elementary and/or secondary education was primarily obtained as a resident of Stark County. The Silk Scholarship endowment represents more than $600,000 in assets held by the NEOMED Foundation.