DR. GERALD S. BROWDIE

BROWDIE DR. GERALD S.

Gerald Samson Browdie, on Friday, December 20, 2019, a dentist whose career-long commitment to the health and well-being of children earned him smiles from fans of all ages, died on Friday at his home in the Oakland section of Pittsburgh. He was 88. Dr. Browdie, who grew up in Pittsburgh, was recognized not only as a clinician but also as an advocate for public health. His founding of a family dental center at Westmoreland Regional Hospital in Greensburg to provide care to children from families on medical assistance earned him recognition across both the region and his profession. For 30 years beginning in 1972, Dr. Browdie divided his time between a dental practice in Greensburg and the dental center, which under his direction expanded from treating 150 patients in its first year of operation to more than 25,000 annually. "Low-income parents can't afford to take their children to the dentist," Dr. Browdie told the Tribune-Review in 2002. "This is a serious problem in this country." Generations of patients credited Dr. Browdie's gentleness with easing their fears of visiting the dentist. Advocacy by Dr. Browdie helped to secure funding for the dental center from the federal Head Start program, the AFL-CIO's national poverty fighting branch, the Pennsylvania Department of Health, Westmoreland County, and Westmoreland Regional Hospital, among others. The hospital later received a federal grant to open a second clinic in Waynesburg. In 1973, Dr. Browdie led the establishment of a separate department of dentistry at Westmoreland Hospital, where he served as a director of the hospital's foundation. He was named to the American College of Dentists in 1984.  Dr. Browdie received his undergraduate and dental degrees from the University of Pittsburgh and did his residency in pediatric dentistry at the University of Rochester's Eastman Institute for Oral Health. A lifelong fan of sports, Dr. Browdie played varsity basketball for Fifth Avenue High School. He later served as a second lieutenant in the U.S. Army's infantry division at Fort Benning. Dr. Browdie is survived by his wife, Lois; his son, Brian; a daughter, Stacy; his son-in-law, Dan Cohen; a daughter-in-law, Krista Dong; three grandchildren, Andrew, Maddie, and Josh; and his brother, Leonard of Squirrel Hill. Services at RALPH SCHUGAR CHAPEL, INC., 5509 Centre Avenue, Shadyside on Sunday at 2 p.m. Visitation one hour prior to services (1 - 2 p.m.). Interment Beth Abraham Cemetery. Donations in memory of Dr. Browdie may be sent to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation, 501 Martindale Street, Suite 670, Pittsburgh, PA 15212.