Congratulations to Dr. Phillip Brown, DDS
Dr. Philip Brown, DDS, Senior Vice President of Dental Services, inducted into the International College of Dentists Fellowship
Methodist Healthcare Ministries of South Texas, Inc.’s Senior Vice President of Dental Services, Dr. Philip Brown, has been inducted as a Fellow of the International College of Dentists (ICD). Dr. Brown was honored for his extraordinary service and leadership at the ICD’s 85thAnnual Convocation, held in San Francisco, California, Sept. 6.
Dr. Brown was presented with a membership plaque, a gold lapel pin and gold key symbolic of the fellowship for conspicuous service rendered in the art and science of dentistry, during the convocation.
“I was nominated by a colleague to join the organization. I sent in my application and it was approved by the board and then I was inducted into the group,” said Dr. Brown. “It is an honor to receive this recognition and it is humbling. It was overwhelming and I felt like I was graduating from college, again. It is a big honor for me.”
Dr. Brown was among 350 other dentists from around the world to be inducted into the College this year. The College, with representative chapters in more than 123 countries, has over 11,000 members — including 6,500 in the United States.
The ICD members often participate in mission trips to various countries around the globe to provide critical dental care to the underserved.
“I felt like I really fit in to this organization because that’s what Methodist Healthcare Ministries does — we serve the underserved in our communities. It’s our mission field,” said Brown. “We are doing what medical teams on mission trips do — all day and every day,” he said.
His passion for “treating people, not teeth,” which is his mantra, is the driving force behind his commitment to providing the highest quality of care to the least served in our communities. Dr. Brown’s dedicated work and expertise is the epitome of Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ mission, “Serving Humanity to Honor God.”
He said Methodist Healthcare Ministries is at the forefront of integrated healthcare which provides care to the whole person by utilizing a high degree of collaboration and communication across the organization. The goal is to make connections to systemic ailments including coronary artery disease, diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis, Alzheimer’s, depression, and others, so that a patients’ health needs are better identified and addressed.
“We practice integrated healthcare at Methodist Healthcare Ministries because we invest a lot of our attention to the whole person so that we can provide the best in healthcare to our patients,” he said. “That’s one of the reasons I felt connected to ICD. They too are passionate about bringing wellness to those in need.”
Dr. Brown plans on getting more involved with ICD and hopes to dedicate some of his time to volunteer work. One of his goals is to be part of a mission trip in the future. He said it’s a way for him to give back to others.
He and his brother are both dentists. His brother is in private practice. “We both enjoy working with our hands and we are both artistic,” he said.
When Dr. Brown isn’t leading his dental teams at Methodist Healthcare Ministries’ Dixon Health & Wellness Center, Wesley Health & Wellness Center and its two School-Based Health Centers, you can bet he’s somewhere taking photos of whatever captures his eye. His love for photography started in college.
“I take my camera everywhere I go. I like taking photos of my family, as well as places I’ve traveled to,” he said. “One of his most cherished photos is of his parents’ hands. “I was at church with my parents that day and I noticed their hands as they sat together so I decided to capture that image.”
The photo of his parents’ hands is displayed in his office, along with several other images including his travels and family. Aside from photography, he also enjoys scuba diving with his sons.
Dr. Brown and his wife, Elaine, have two sons — Jason, 34, an emergency room physician in Houston, Texas, and Kyle, 29, a firefighter with the San Antonio Fire Department. They also have two grandsons — Braxton and Joshua. His wife, Elaine, is a retired radiologist.
He’s served at Methodist Healthcare Ministries for 24 years. Dr. Brown said serving others and helping improve their lives is a great feeling. “It’s unexplainable. We are not just changing teeth; we are changing lives every day. And, ultimately, we are saving lives. To see a patient, look and feel better is an overwhelming feeling.”
The ICD is the pre-eminent honorary organization of the world’s outstanding dentists involved in “Serving Others.” It is dedicated to the recognition of outstanding professional achievement, meritorious service and the continued progress in the profession of dentistry for the benefit of all humankind.