Lions Citizen of the Year: Dr Joel Stevens

PRESS RELEASE – In recognition of his professional accomplishments and of the stellar contributions to the Virgin Islands in the fields and education and health, Dr Joel Stevens was inducted as an Honourary Lion, and named as Lions Citizen of the Year 2016/2017 by Lions President Carvin Malone.

A true son of the soil, Dr Stevens was born in Tortola on March 9th, 1945.

He completed his early education at the Virgin Islands Secondary School in 1961.

In 1968, he went on to complete his Bachelor of Science at Long Island University in New York, and in 1972 he graduated from Howard University College of Medicine.

Dr Stevens obtained his surgical training at Howard University Hospital from 1972-1979, and later completed additional training in Transplantation and Vascular Access at Howard and the University of Minnesota from 1977 to 1979.

Dr Stevens earned his certification from the American Board of Surgery in 1979, and is a member of the American Society of Transplant Surgeons and the Vascular Access Society of the Americas.

He is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and the International College of Surgeons.

As a physician, Dr Stevens has held many senior positions within several hospitals.

He has worked as the Senior Attending Surgeon at the Washington Hospital Center DC, Senior Attending Surgeon at Providence Hospital DC, and Consultant for Vascular Access at Peebles Hospital in the British Virgin Islands. He also is past President of Providence Medical Staff.

Even with his busy schedule, Dr Stevens has found the time to become involved in extracurricular activities.

He is the Past President of the HU Medical Alumni Association, Past Member of the Board of Governors at the H Lavity Stoutt College, and a member of the Board of the BVI Health Services Authority.

Never forgetting his roots, Dr Stevens established an Scholarship Fund at the H Lavity Stoutt Community College in honour of his late parents Lilyon and Alfred Stevens.

The fund was created by Dr Stevens to provide unrestricted financial assistance to students in need of aid to complete their studies at the College.

Having been a former member of the Colleges’ Board of Governors, Dr Stevens hosted his 70th birthday celebration back in March 2015 at Maria’s by the Sea, in the company of more than 150 friends and family.

It was at that event that Dr Stevens said, “I wanted to celebrate the occasion by giving back to the BVI community, which set the foundation for my later success. So I used this event to attract support for the College and the BVI Health Services Authority, by asking my guests to make a donation to their entity of choice in lieu of me receiving personal gifts.”

President Malone thanked Honourary Lion Dr Joel Stevens for gracefully accepting the accolades, and beckoned him to continue in service to the territory.