The Dedication of Dr. Ada Stewart
Dr. Ada Stewart had a successful career as a pharmacist in her native Cleveland, Ohio, proud to be the first in her family to attend college, graduate and pursue an advanced degree, and own a home.
Personal losses deepened her resolve to do more. After losing both of her parents and her older sister to preventable illnesses, she saw with growing concern that many in the African American community were not receiving adequate health care.
A local newspaper article about a family physician helped guide her next steps.
That physician “was able to care for the whole person, not only the physical well-being, but also the mental and spiritual well-being,” Dr. Stewart explained. “I felt that that I was called to be a family physician.”
In her 30s, she studied for the MCATs and gained admission to the Medical College of Toledo (now called the University of Toledo College of Medicine and Life Sciences) as a National Health Service Corps Scholar. In her 40s, she loved every clinical rotation, and inspired by the article that moved her, chose family medicine as her specialty.
She accepted a residency in Columbia, S. C., and through the corps ended up remaining in the Palmetto State, serving as a family physician with Richland Community Health Care and Cooperative Health (Eau Claire Cooperative) in Columbia. After 9/11, she opened her heart to more service, and joined the U.S. Army Reserve. She’s now a colonel, giving one weekend a month and two weeks a year to active duty. She’s been deployed to Kuwait, Germany, and several sites around the country.
Dr. Stewart is a steady community anchor, offering stability and comfort to those navigating uncertainty without insurance or Medicaid. Her patients have her cell phone number, and she answers their calls — even while serving in the military — to ensure their needs are met.
“I try to meet my patients where they are,” she said. “I feel like they are a part of my family and as their doctor, I let them know we are in this together, that whatever their needs are, we will address them. I give them the tools to make decisions and I share in the decision-making process moving forward.”
As committed as she is to her patients, she’s also dedicated to her family back in Ohio, including 11 nieces and nephews, 25 great-nieces and great-nephews, and two great-great nieces. She serves as the matriarch from afar, and with that comes the responsibility of being a role model for the family, she said.
She preaches the words that inspired her long ago, shared by many leaders including Dr. Joycelyn Elders, pediatrician and the first African American and second woman to serve as U.S. Surgeon General: “You can’t be what you don’t see,” she said. “It’s so true. If you don’t see success, if you don’t see individuals doing good things, you really don’t realize the things that you can do.”
“That’s especially important in the community in which my family still is part of in the inner city of Cleveland,” she added. “With that, I try to make sure that they see what hard work looks like, both studying hard and caring for yourself mentally, physically and spiritually.”
Dr. Stewart considers her role as “Auntie Ada” another calling. She thrives on seeing their joy when she spends time with her nieces and nephews and takes them on vacations, something she never experienced as a child, “showing them a different world and different opportunities they may embark on.”
They also see her in her element, as a leader within the community and in her specialty. When they visit, they spend time in her office, observing her with her patients, watching her work as she precepts students. They observe as she serves many organizations, like the American Medical Association, American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP), the AAFP Commission on Diversity, Equity and Inclusiveness in Family Medicine, and the South Carolina Medical Association.
“I’m showing them that you need to be a voice for others and not just going to work and seeing patients, but also being able to be an advocate for others,” she said. “[It’s also about] the importance of being humble. They can see even when I’m on vacation or at a meeting, I may have a call from one of my patients and I always take that call.”
Lawrence Williamson, 21, Stewart’s great-nephew, sees her a few times a year and spent three summers with her during middle school.
“She’s superwoman — she’s a perfect role model, mentor figure,” he said. “[I see] how caring she is and how she wants everyone to just do good. That’s what she’s always wanted for me.”
Williamson joined Stewart in May as she gave the commencement address at Ohio Northern University Raabe College of Pharmacy — her alma mater — and received an honorary doctorate degree.
“Seeing her give the commencement speech was even more motivation for me to want to do good, and her honorary degree shows how much hard work can pay off in the end,” Williamson noted. “It really inspired me. I want to be able to do things and accomplish that many things in my life as well.”
Williamson credited “Auntie Ada” for many of his life decisions. He’s started his senior year at Bowling Green University, studying sports management and marketing. He’s thankful for her encouragement and insistence that he dedicate himself to his studies.
“She brought me around successful people to inspire me and showed me that hard work always pays off,” he said. “What inspires me the most is her work ethic and how she cares for everyone. Spending a day in her life in her field and seeing how much she cares for her patients and treats them like family, it’s heartwarming.”
While Stewart takes great joy in her siblings’ children and grandchildren, they feel the same toward their aunt.
“I’m extremely proud of her. In my eyes, there’s nothing she can’t do,” Williamson said. “She’s a living example of leadership, resilience, service, all of those positive traits in one. If Superwoman or Wonder Woman were real, that would be her.”
