Internationally known doctor drowns while fishing in the Ozarks, Missouri cops say

A 71-year-old man known as one of the best doctors in the country drowned while fishing in the Ozarks, Missouri police say.

Richard Brasington was fishing in the North Fork River in Ozark County and drowned Sunday, April 30, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol.

He was wading in the river when, for unknown reasons, he went underwater at 10 a.m., troopers said. His body was pulled out of the river at 2:15 p.m.

Brasington, from St. Louis, was a “nationally and internationally known clinical rheumatologist,” according to Memorial Hospital. The Chester, Illinois, hospital welcomed Brasington to its specialty clinic team in 2022.

He had been honored in the “America’s Best Doctors” list “for many years,” the hospital said.

Brasington also was a member of the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis faculty, which he joined in 1996. In 2015, he received the university’s Distinguished Educator Award.

“Medical students say that Brasington’s passion for teaching and talent for giving pivotal career advice make him a stand-out,” the university said at the time. “Students have honored him with two Clinical Teacher of the Year awards and two Distinguished Service Teaching Awards.”

Brasington was the initial honoree of the Dr. Richard Brasington Mentorship Award, which his fellows awarded him in 2019.

Lacey Feigl-Lenzen, who worked with Brasington at Washington University, said “words can’t describe” his impact on rheumatology.

“Whether it’s faculty, fellows or staff, Dr. B was a champion of rheum education & patient care,” Feigl-Lenzen said. “I’m lucky enough to call him my friend. You leave behind an incredible legacy & we love you forever, Rick.”

This story was originally published May 1, 2023 at 7:54 AM with the headline "Internationally known doctor drowns while fishing in the Ozarks, Missouri cops say."