Colleagues of Randall “Randy” Stevens, MD, are remembering him for his compassion, selflessness and service to others after his death on Jan. 15 at age 69. Dr. Stevens, a Terre Haute physician and educator widely respected as an expert in rural and addiction medicine, retired last year after 20 years as chair of the ISMA Commission on Physician Assistance (COPA). According to his obituary, the cause of death was cancer related to his exposure to Agent Orange as an Army medic in Vietnam.

“ISMA relies on physicians who volunteer their time to help us fulfill our mission,” said Julie Reed, JD, ISMA executive vice president. “ISMA, and countless Indiana physicians, are indebted to Dr. Stevens for his extraordinary servant leadership as chair of COPA for an unprecedented two decades.”  

Emily Zarse, MD, who succeeded Dr. Stevens as COPA chair, appreciated how much Dr. Stevens cared for his colleagues on the commission, which oversees the ISMA Physician Assistance Program. “When we had in-person meetings, he would bring articles or news clippings about interesting things happening in the world,” she said. “It was a nice way to break up the discussion of some otherwise difficult topics.”

ISMA Physician Assistance Program Coordinator Anne Kelley, LCSW, LCAC, called Dr. Stevens “a thoughtful mentor and steadfast advocate for Hoosier physicians, residents and medical students – particularly those in need. His compassion, pragmatic approach to problem solving and wise counsel, coupled with his wonderful sense of humor, provided steady leadership and advocacy for ISMA staff as well as our program participants.”

Dr. Stevens’ medical career spanned more than 50 years, beginning when he was a U.S. Army medical specialist in Qui Nhon, Vietnam, in 1971 and 1972. A Duke University graduate, he worked several years as a physician assistant before entering the IU School of Medicine and earning his medical degree in 1987. He completed his family practice residency at Union Hospital in Terre Haute. Dr. Stevens, who was passionate about rural medicine, then became a faculty member in the residency program and was its director from 1995 to 2003.

He was also a member of the Indiana Perinatal Substance Abuse Committee and held numerous other community leadership roles. He worked with the Sisters of Providence to found St. Ann’s Clinic for uninsured Hoosiers, now the Wabash Valley Health Center, and was medical director for the Union Hospital Center for Occupational Health, the Vigo County Jail, and the Vigo County Juvenile Center.

Dr. Stevens received many awards and accolades during his career. ISMA honored him with a Resolution of Appreciation when he retired as COPA chair in 2021. In December, he was named a Sagamore of the Wabash by Gov. Eric Holcomb and received the Chapman S. Root Award from the Visiting Nurse Association and Hospice of the Wabash Valley.

A celebration of life for Dr. Stevens is planned for June 12 from noon to 4 p.m. at the VFW in Terre Haute.

Read Dr. Stevens’ obituary here.