Edward “Ned” S. Sternick, PhD, MBA, 84, died Nov. 30, 2023. He was a professor emeritus of radiation oncology at Brown.
Born in Boston, he earned degrees from Tufts, Boston University, UCLA, and Northeastern. He served on Brown’s faculty for five years, until 2014, and as the medical physicist-in-chief at Rhode Island Hospital. Previous roles included founding director of medical physics at Tufts Medical Center, professor at Dartmouth, and a NASA research scientist. He was a former president of the American Association of Physicists in Medicine.
A tremendous history buff—particularly when it came to Daniel Webster—Dr. Sternick was also an avid stamp collector, a hobby that brought him great joy, including an assignment as executive director of the Spellman Museum of Stamps and Postal History. At the Martha’s Vineyard Museum, he volunteered as a docent and regaled visitors with his encyclopedic knowledge of island history.
He is survived by five children and his adored grandchildren. He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Andrea Quigley.
Timothy Empkie, MD, MPH, 74, died Dec. 30. He was a clinical assistant professor of family medicine and an assistant dean of medicine, PLME advising, at Brown. After studying at Princeton, the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, and Harvard School of Public Health, Dr. Empkie completed his family medicine residency at the University of Iowa before serving with the National Health Service Corps in North Dakota. He joined Brown’s Department of Family Medicine in 1984 and was its director of predoctoral education. In 1993, he took a decade-long leave of absence to serve with Project HOPE as regional director for Central and Eastern Europe, based in Prague. In recent years he taught Brown freshmen about health disparities in Haiti and the Dominican Republic.
Dr. Empkie was a community activist at heart. He led efforts to stop construction of a stadium on park land in Providence and stood strong as a supporter of LGBTQ+ rights. Forever a basketball aficionado, he was faculty liaison for the Brown men’s basketball team from 2017 until his death. Born in the Midwest, Dr. Empkie had a gift for conversation and maintained close friendships with people from every phase of his life. He found joy in family, spending long summer days with his sister, nephews, and grandnieces in northern Wisconsin, where he will be laid to rest this summer.
Georges Peter, MD, 85, died Jan. 11. He was a professor emeritus of pediatrics at Brown.
Born in Cambridge, MA, he graduated from Harvard Medical School; trained in pediatrics at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester, NY, and Boston Children’s Hospital; and completed fellowships at the NIH and Boston Children’s. In 1972, he joined the faculty at Brown, where he remained until his retirement in 2005.
During his 34-year career at Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital, Dr. Peter established the boardcertified Division of Pediatric Infectious Diseases. He was an active researcher and teacher, and a devoted pediatrician. He was particularly committed to the prevention of once-common diseases through immunizations. During his career, he witnessed the disappearance of polio myelitis, marked reduction in cases of measles, and near-elimination of bacterial meningitis.
His advocacy for the prevention of infectious diseases led to national recognition and leadership roles. Dr. Peter served on the American Academy of Pediatrics’ Committee on Infectious Diseases for 13 years, editing five editions of its highly influential Red Book: Report of the Committee on Infectious Diseases. He also served on three federal committees related to immunization; was a member of the WHO’s Strategic Advisory Group of Experts on Immunization; and was president of the Pediatric Infectious Diseases Society. His numerous awards included the AAP Award for Lifetime Contribution to Infectious Diseases Education, a Special Recognition Award from the US Department of Health and Human Services, and an Emeritus Citation from Brown.
Dr. Peter was devoted to his family, Harvard athletics, and the Red Sox. He sailed competitively for more than 60 years, primarily in the Lightning Class, winning numerous regattas and sailing in national and international championships. He is survived by his wife of 59 years, Carolyn McClintock Peter; their two children; two grandchildren; nieces and nephews; his sister; and two sisters-in-law.
Ronald A. DeLellis ’62, MD, 82, died Feb. 10. He was a professor emeritus of pathology and laboratory medicine at The Warren Alpert Medical School.
Born in Providence and raised on Federal Hill, Dr. DeLellis studied biology at Brown and earned his medical degree at Tufts. He completed his pathology residency at the National Cancer Institute and returned to Tufts, serving in multiple leadership roles. Later in his career, he and his wife, Dolores, fulfilled a longtime dream to live in Manhattan when he became vice chair and director of anatomic pathology at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center and a professor of pathology at Cornell. In 2001 they returned to Providence, where he served as pathologist-in-chief at Lifespan, vice chair of pathology at Brown, and professor of pathology and laboratory medicine until 2011.
Throughout his career, Dr. DeLellis distinguished himself in diagnostic pathology and tumor biology research. He was an author and collaborator on numerous journal articles and book chapters, and served in senior editorial roles for books and monographs, most notably the 2004 WHO Classification of Endocrine Tumors. He was elected to pivotal leadership roles in various scientific organizations, and was a founding member of the Endocrine Pathology Society, which honored him with its Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
A beloved mentor to generations of medical students and residents, Dr. DeLellis’ warm and engaging personality, patience, and friendly manner made him both an effective and beloved instructor. Until nearly the end of his life, he helped instruct residents and consulted on challenging endocrine cases. Dr. DeLellis is fondly remembered as an exceptional mentor and friend, whose kindness and wisdom helped establish enduring connections across the globe.
Dr. DeLellis’ relentless passion for learning, wide-ranging interests, and inquisitive nature established him as something of a Renaissance man. His scholarship and scientific curiosity were matched by his love of literature, art, history, and, most of all, music—especially opera. For those lucky enough to know him, Dr. DeLellis could always be counted on in difficult times to provide everything from a sympathetic ear to some homemade chicken soup.
He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Dolores; two children; two grandchildren; and many relatives and friends.
Dorothy Yonrue Liu-Bottary MD’17, 35, died Feb. 22 from an unexpected complication of a chronic medical condition.
Born in Winchester, MA, Dr. Liu-Bottary graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst’s Commonwealth Honors College in 2011, working as a math teacher in Providence for Teach For America before attending medical school. She completed a general surgery residency at UMass Memorial Medical Center and a trauma fellowship at Temple University. She joined the faculty of Thomas Jefferson University Hospital last fall as a trauma and acute care surgeon.
Dr. Liu-Bottary’s friends and family will remember her unwavering kindness and generosity, steady friendship, and unrivaled ability to nap. She quietly managed her own needs, not wanting to impose on others, even when she was the patient.
Dr. Liu-Bottary is survived by her husband, Ryan, and their cat; her parents and parents-in-law; her brother, sister, and their spouses and children; and sister-in-law, her husband, and their daughter.
