IN REMEMBRANCE : Burns M . Brady , MD 06 / 22 / 1936-03 / 13 / 2024
Dr . Burns M . Brady , age 87 , passed away peacefully in his home in Louisville on March 13 , 2024 , surrounded by those he loved .
He is preceded in death by his parents , Mila and Howell Brady and his brother Howell , Jr . He is survived by his beloved wife of 46 years , Kasey , his son , Burns , Jr ., daughter , Libby and grandchildren , Lee , Walter , Derrick and Dallas .
Born on June 22 , 1936 , in Mayfield , Kentucky , Burns cherished his small-town upbringing . He was active in the community and excelled in both his academic and athletic endeavors .
His own medical issues as a young boy sparked his interest in becoming a physician . He attended Centre College , graduating in 1958 . The following year , he was accepted to the University of Louisville Medical School . After residency , he entered the Army , and served for two years , achieving the rank of Captain .
Upon completion of his military service , Dr . Brady opened a private family medicine practice in Louisville where he served his community for 25 years .
In 1992 , he left private practice to develop and serve as the Medical Director of the Kentucky Physicians Health Foundation . Dr . Brady helped hundreds of doctors receive treatment for alcohol and chemical dependency , facilitating their re-entry into their profession and thus helping many Kentucky communities and thousands of Kentuckians .
In addition to his work with the Foundation , Dr . Brady was passionately involved in volunteer work . He co-founded and served as Medical Director of The Healing Place . He would often relate that the happiest and most contented time of his life was when he was teaching residents about the disease of addiction or working one-on-one with clients on their Step work . His second passion was his work at the men ’ s prisons using the Recovery Dynamics format as a means of teaching and relating to the inmates in the substance abuse program .
Burns was a beloved member of the local recovery community , giving generously his experience , strength and hope . His words and phrases (“ repetition , repetition , repetition ”) will be heard in church basements for years to come . He shared his own life of recovery freely and traveled throughout the U . S . and across the world sharing . As a result , he touched thousands of lives and his “ footprint ” on this world is far reaching .
Dr . Brady was an active member of the AMA , KMA , GLMS , AAFP , IDAA and ASAM . In 2006 he was awarded the Ephraim McDowell Physician of the Year award .
I was fortunate enough to be one of those “ hundreds of doctors ” whose life and career were saved by Burns Brady . He gave me the gift of hope when I had little . Most importantly , he gave me a simple and ungarbled message of the Recovery program he practiced daily . He didn ’ t meet me where I was , thank God . He gave me a hand up to where he had been brought by that program of Recovery . He made no room for alternatives ; nor did he pull punches as to the difficult work ahead . It worked , just as he had told me it would .
I ’ m grateful for his guidance , mentorship and example . Those who knew him will have many of their own memories and stories . He was not easy to overlook or forget .
Dr . Brady ’ s legacy of service to his community will live on through the ongoing work of the Kentucky Physicians Health Foundation and The Healing Place . These programs continue and will impact future generations for years to come , not only in Kentucky , but throughout the U . S .
Donations can be made , in his honor , to any of the following organizations : The Healing Place , The Kentucky Physicians Health Foundation , The Beacon House or Hosparus Health of Louisville .
-Greg L . Jones , MD
Dr . Brady was a GLMS member for 58 years .
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