Of Mysteries & Medicine
Stephen Pearce, M.D., Earns 2022 Physician Legacy Award
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Stephen Pearce, M.D., enjoys solving a good puzzle. Once a kid hooked on the Sherlock Holmes novels, he formed a habit of taking a closer look at things. Now, he solves real-life mysteries as a successful gastroenterologist.
“You got the liver, and the gallbladder, and the pancreas, and the colon, and the stomach, and a few things in between, and the esophagus,” Dr. Pearce said. “The patient comes in and says, ‘It hurts here,’ and you have to try to figure out what it means.”
“His competence is unquestionable, but it’s his kindness, compassion, and dedication to his patients and his community that sets him apart,” said neurosurgeon Jeffrey Lobosky, M.D.
Dr. Pearce was named the 2022 winner of the Physician Legacy Award, an honor that recognizes physicians whose body of work in and out of the profession has created a lasting impact. Doctors, hospital employees and volunteers, and community members nominate providers, and Enloe’s Medical Executive Committee reviews nominations and selects a winner.
“His competence is unquestionable, but it’s his kindness, compassion, and dedication to his patients and his community that sets him apart,” said neurosurgeon Jeffrey Lobosky, M.D., who presented the award to Dr. Pearce.
One nomination described the way Dr. Pearce interacts with his staff and patients as “the gold standard,” and another appreciated his willingness to teach new nurses and techs about procedures in colonoscopies.
Expanding Services
For Dr. Pearce, one of the most rewarding aspects of his career was helping build Enloe’s GI department with Enloe staff and other local gastroenterologists. This includes growing Enloe’s GI Lab in the mid-1980s and the Endoscopy Clinic in the early 1990s. Together, they expanded services from basic gastrointestinal procedures to more complex offerings, helping locals access needed services closer to home.
“I was here during the transition of Enloe being very good but still a teeny little hospital through the transition of becoming a medical center and trauma center,” Dr. Pearce said. “It was a lot of fun.”
“I’ve really enjoyed this time. It’s been a lot of hard work but a lot of fun,” said Stephen Pearce, M.D., who was named the 2022 winner of the Physician Legacy Award.
Cheering on Others
Originally from Tulsa, Oklahoma, Dr. Pearce has now been solving medical mysteries for over 41 years — a tenure anyone could appreciate. But unlike his childhood hero, Sherlock, Dr. Pearce has no desire to take all the credit.
Eager to acknowledge everyone for doing their part, Dr. Pearce can’t seem to say enough good things about others. He’s particularly grateful for the colleagues with whom he worked during his time at Enloe’s Outpatient Endoscopy Clinic.
“That is an amazing service line,” Dr. Pearce said. “I was over there working with just the cream of the crop. It was just wonderful — and a lot of really nice people, wonderful people. I loved working over there, just a really nice place. It’s a nice facility, but we have wonderful people over there, stable people in there a long time.”
On Sept. 30, 2022, Dr. Pearce retired from a physician practice he joined in 1981. He now works part time as a hospital-based gastroenterologist at Enloe Medical Center. The physician practice, known as Digestive Diseases Associates, was started by Brian Boswell, M.D., in 1980, and became Enloe Digestive Diseases in the 2010s.
“I’ve really enjoyed this time. It’s been a lot of hard work but a lot of fun,” he said. In his semi-retirement, Dr. Pearce looks forward to traveling with his wife, Janet, and spending time with his grandchildren.
