John Neiman Stephenson MD

John Nieman Stephenson, age 71, died at home on November 24, 2008. Born April 15, 1937 in Cedarburg Wisconsin with ""one foot on the farm and one in the community,"" he was the son of Ronald Stephenson and Alice Nieman. He received an undergraduate degree in Economics from the University of Wisconsin, Madison, and his medical degree from Boston University School of Medicine. He did his residency at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit and a fellowship in adolescent medicine at Children's Hospital Medical Center, Harvard University Medical School in Boston. He married Ellen Herman June 4, 1960. In 1967 he went to the U.S. Air Force 48th Tactical Hospital in Lakenheath, England serving as a pediatrician to staff, dependents and their families. Following his three-year service in the Air Force, he went to Ohio State University in Columbus where he worked as a physician at the University Health Service. In 1972 he moved to Madison to found the Teenage and Young Adult Clinic, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin Medical School, where he served as Medical Director until his retirement in 1999. As a Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin Medical School, he especially enjoyed teaching residents, medical and nursing students. He believed that students should look beyond the University to the world in which their patients live, learn and play. As the physician in charge of a weekly Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin clinic for teenagers, he introduced pediatric house staff and fourth-year medical students to public family planning concepts. In 1977 he founded the Adolescent Alcohol Drug Intervention Program at the UW Hospital and Clinics, where he also served as the director of the Eating Disorders Program, Medical Advisor to the Dane Country Juvenile Detention Facility and Madison Metropolitan School District and as a staff physician for athletes at the University of Wisconsin Athletic Department. These programs greatly extended the community role of the University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics for which he received much recognition, including a Public Interest Award, Center for Public Representation ""Example of the Wisconsin Idea"" in 1982. He worked on the General Admissions,   Minority Admissions and Medical Scholars committees for the University of Wisconsin Medical School. Beginning in 1997, he made many trips to Kazakhstan   for the Primekare Kazakhstan program to train Kazakh pediatricians in pediatric practice, diagnosis and management of sexually transmitted diseases. He was a member of the Society for Adolescent Medicine, the American Academy of Pediatrics, Voyageurs and The Academy. All his life he enjoyed athletics and outdoor pursuits. He competed in 13 American Birkebeiners, many Paddle and Portage canoe races and Badger State Games. He was an expert downhill and Nordic skier, a Boy Scout troop and Explorer Post leader, sea kayaker, canoeist and an avid Nielsen early-bird tennis player. During retirement, he enjoyed backpacking, alpine mountaineering and geology and made several trips to Pakistan, including a multi-week expedition to Snow Lake, a crossing of sub-Antarctic South Georgia Island in the footsteps of Shackleton, several trips to Patagonia, an ascent of Mount Kilimanjaro, a traverse of Alaska's Brooks Range, a descent of the Burnside River in the Canadian Arctic and exploration of the Rockies and Sierra Nevada. He had a special fondness for the American west with its exceptional beauty and opportunities for adventure. He spent many happy days on his farm in Iowa County where he worked on forest management and prairie conservation and enjoyed all aspects of the natural world.   He was a steward of the land and supported many conservation organizations. He is survived by his wife Ellen of 48 years, children John Jr. (Juli Hinds) of Madison, David (Lianne Johnsen) of Madison and Scott (Jane Woods) of Seattle, grandchildren Joelle, Jacqueline, Sophie, Max, Zoe, sisters Carol Neuer of Cedarburg, Elaine Stephenson of Cedarburg and brothers Gordon Stephenson of Middleton and Ronald Stephenson of San Marcos, Texas. The family wishes to thank Dr. Anne Traynor and her staff at the University of Wisconsin Carbone Cancer Center, Dr. Tracy Weigel and HospiceCare for their exceptional care, treatment and support during his illness. There will be a memorial service in mid-January 2009 in Madison. Memorials may be made in his name to Creating Hope for Lung Cancer (600 Highland Avenue, Madison, WI 53792; 608-265-3527), HospiceCare ( 5395 E. Cheryl Parkway, Madison, WI 53711; 608-327-7164 ) or the Driftless Area Land Conservancy ( 338 North Iowa Street, Dodgeville, WI 53533; 608-930-3252).