Noteworthy: Allegheny County Council recognized Withers for his work with Operation Safety Net, a program he established in 1992 to provide health care services to people who are homeless in Pittsburgh.

Age: 57

Residence: Shadyside

Family: Four children

Occupation: Internal medicine physician with Pittsburgh Mercy Health System, assistant clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a faculty member at UPMC Mercy

Education: Medical degree from Pitt, 1984; bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Haverford College, Philadelphia, 1980

Background: Withers was raised in Hanover, the son of a physician and nurse. He came to Pittsburgh in 1980 to attend medical school and joined the faculty at Mercy Hospital in 1988 after completing a residency there. Withers began providing care to people living on the streets as a way to give his students perspective on life outside the hospital. He also helped found the Street Medicine Institute in Pittsburgh, which helps communities around the world start programs similar to Operation Safety Net.

Quote: “You can’t solve difficult problems if you can’t get close enough to see them. That’s why our tagline is, go to the people.”

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