When Dr. Gary Steinbrook began practicing medicine 26 years ago in Claremore, he knew he wanted to help people. “My wife and I wanted to establish our family and my practice where we could be part of a community,” shares the family physician. “Dr. Steinbrook has taken care of me, my friends and my family,” adds Dr. Keith Miles of growing up in Claremore and seeing Dr. Steinbrook for everything from sprained ankles to strep throat. “He is the all-around physician that you look for.” It turns out, Dr. Steinbrook was also just the person when Dr. Miles, then a Claremore Sequoyah High School student, started to think about his own career. “I had the opportunity to shadow Dr. Steinbrook during a break my freshman year of college. I knew after the first day that this was exactly what I wanted to do.”
“I saw a person with very strong family values who had a great rapport with my patients,” recalls Dr. Steinbrook. “I could tell from the onset that he was going into medicine for the right reasons.”
Firsthand, Dr. Miles was able to see how Dr. Steinbrook balanced being attentive to patients with handling the challenges of building a practice and adapting to changes in health care, while keeping patient care first and foremost. “He is efficient with his time, and thorough with his exams,” Dr. Miles adds. “Dr. Steinbrook has an amazing understanding of medicine. He is constantly looking for new ways to improve his overall patient care and he listens to his patients. Patients walk out the door feeling their complaints have been heard and addressed.”
Dr. Miles says Dr. Steinbrook gave him one critical piece of advice before starting medical school. “He told me to take it one day at a time,” Dr. Miles says. “I took this to heart – through all seven years. It allowed me to not get overwhelmed with what seemed like an endless road ahead. I would call him on the days when I felt I was discouraged and he would build me up. I would call him when I achieved a medical milestone and he would encourage me.”
Through every milestone, Dr. Steinbrook was there for Dr. Miles. “I had the privilege to write one of his recommendation letters for medical school and to later help hood him at his graduation ceremony,” says Dr. Steinbrook. “Now, 10 years later, we share a practice at Utica Park Clinic. It is very enlightening to see a well-trained doctor, who is fully committed to serving the community in which he grew up.”
When Dr. Miles returned to his hometown and joined Dr. Steinbrook at Utica Park Clinic, Claremore gained not just another dedicated physician, but a unique partnership. “I now look back after 26 years of family practice in Claremore and feel very blessed by the opportunity,” shares Dr. Steinbrook. “I take very seriously the lives that get placed in my hands, and for many years ahead, look forward to helping my patients stay healthy.”
“I have learned how to be a physician,” says Dr. Miles. “Dr. Steinbrook has shown me firsthand the compassion, work ethic and medical knowledge that are required to provide the care that patients deserve.”
To schedule an appointment with Dr. Steinbrook or Dr. Miles, call 918-343-8560.