2015 Health Care Heroes-Lifetime Achievement Award Recipient

The older he gets and the more his profession changes, the more Dr. R. Bertram Williams Jr., now 95, is revered by colleagues, patients and friends.

In a time of exacting government mandates, accelerating technologies, cost-control imperatives and a physician burnout rate exceeding 50 percent, Williams remains “a model for what doctors should be,” believes Philip Brown, a vascular surgeon and chief of the medical staff at New Hanover Regional Medical Center.

In his new role as chief physician executive, effective Jan. 1, Brown will oversee care quality, care transformation and physician leadership at NHRMC. He views Williams’ 39-year career as a shining example of how doctors can remain fully attuned to the needs and perspectives of their patients.

As a general and thoracic surgeon, co-founder of Wilmington Surgical Associates and as chief of staff, a trustee and board chairman at NHRMC, Williams constantly pursued the highest quality care in a polite and civilized manner and was always “on stage for his patient,” Brown said.

The son of a merchant, Williams earned his medical degree at Vanderbilt University before joining the Second Marine Division during World War II, tending to injured soldiers in the Pacific. After serving in Korea, Williams returned to Wilmington in 1951 to open his downtown surgical practice.

“He did not turn anyone away that needed his help,” relates his grandson, Tram Williams. “It seems that his medical career was so much more than a job.”

With his partners, Horace Moore Jr. and Ellis Tinsley Sr., the practice ate the costs of uninsured patients, which lead to home-grown vegetables and fresh seafood sometimes piling up on their doorsteps.

When funding for a new medical center to replace the aging James Walker Memorial Hospital became difficult, Williams campaigned for a bond issue that narrowly passed and helped identify the best location for the new institution.

“As the area was not accessible by car, he scouted the site on horseback, which also allowed an easier crossing of a creek in the area,” recalls Darrell Hester, current president of the New Hanover-Pender County Medical Society. Williams’ saddle remains on display at NHRMC.

Williams played a leading role in creating the NHRMC Foundation, which helps fund the hospital’s mission independent of tax dollars.

Concerned about spousal abuse and working with his late wife, Ellen, he also supported the work of one of Domestic Violence Shelter and Services Inc.’s legacy agencies by providing it with rent-free space in a property they owned.

Now retired but still keeping a hand in his profession by overseeing the retired physicians section of the area medical society, Williams gets stopped for thanks and hugs as he moves around town. “You better allow some extra time because you never know who you’re going to run into,” said grandson Tram.

Williams also opens his farm next to the airport to hundreds of friends each summer so they can swoop down on wagons of fresh corn to snatch up and take back home.

A bit of it is also set aside for the family’s annual birthday bash at Banks Channel. There, Williams, son Bert III and Tram – all born on the Fourth of July, just like the doctor’s father – relax with loved ones and bask in the good doctor’s lifetime of achievements, contributions and friendships as they dig into shrimp, corn and homemade ice cream.

“Dr. Williams has achieved a stature that few physicians can measure up to, not simply because he has been fortunate enough to live into his 90s, but because he remains continuously committed to benefiting others to any extent that he is able,” explains John Sanders of Coastal Infectious Disease Consultants, one of many colleagues for whom R. Bertram Williams Jr. remains an inspiration.
 

PEER REVIEW

Here are excerpts from just some of the nominations submitted about Bertram Williams on why he deserves the Lifetime Achievement award for his impact on the local health care community.

• Jeffrey Wright, maternal fetal medicine physician
“Dr. Bert Williams is certainly a healthcare hero with a lifetime of achievement. I first met him when I was an intern in 1984. What a role model he has been and continues to be.

In his practice, Dr. Williams consistently put the needs of his patients first, striving for the best surgical care for each one. His confident and caring manner were comforting to all.  

In the medical community, he has been a leader through decades of development, and at times upheaval, in our local healthcare facilities. In our community as a whole, his leadership in education, his church, and numerous other arenas has been exemplary.”

• Rob Shakar, medical director of American Anesthesiology of the Carolinas
“Dr. Williams is a true legend in medicine in the history of Wilmington healthcare. He practiced for over 40 years and was instrumental in setting the standard of care for the community.

He has served on many Boards and committees at the Hospital, State and Local Medical Society and Insurers (BCBS) representing his field and our community.

Dr. Williams helped transition from the James Walker Hospital to the present site of NHRMC, which he scouted out himself.

His efforts and involvement didn’t stop when he retired in 1990.

He continues to serve on the local medical society board and still leads the retirement meetings.

He remains highly respected by all physicians, which shows his effect is felt long after his practice has finished.”

• Michael Paul Moulton, ER physician and president of Medac
“I have known Dr. Williams for more than twenty years and consider him a dear friend. He has dedicated his life to his patients, this community and truly is a health care hero.

Dr. Williams was born in Wilmington and practiced medicine here for over 40 years …

He continues to mentor physicians and serves as an inspiration to all physicians who know him.

At 95 years old, in addition to his active involvement with our local Medical Society, he continues to lead the Retired Physicians’ Section of the New Hanover County[-Pender] Medical Society with great vigor and success.”

• Ed Whitesides, urologist with Urology Associates of Southeastern NC
“Though I was not fortunate enough to have practiced during his active career, I have heard myriad stories of his compassion, skill and patience.

As one of the handful of original surgeons here in New Hanover County, he has set an example of work and dedication toward which we all strive …

My favorite picture memory of Dr. Williams sits in display in the hospital lobby. He is on horseback in the early 1960s scouting out the potential new location for New Hanover Memorial Hospital (now New Hanover Regional Medical Center).

This picture is but one evidence of his taking time and making effort to benefit our citizens.”