Dr. Selwynn Bryan Howard, noted Atlanta anesthesiologist, dies at 60

As an elementary school student, Selwynn Howard would sometimes accompany his father to Lawson State Junior College, where his dad taught chemistry.

The child would often help some of his father’s students work through their math problems. Both his father and mother recognized early on the intellectual abilities of their youngest child.

“His mother was constantly telling him that he was going to become a doctor,” said Leah Howard, her father’s oldest daughter. “And he did.”

Dr. Selwynn Bryan Howard, 60, died on Sept. 1 of cancer. He was the last of five children born to Matthew Howard, a chemistry professor, and Effie Hicks Howard, a registered nurse. He was reared in Bessemer, Alabama.

After graduating as the salutatorian of Jess Lanier High School, Howard received an academic scholarship to Morehouse College. There, he graduated magna cum laude with a bachelor’s degree in biology and was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, a national honor society. He joined Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity Inc., with which he stayed involved his entire life.

An academic scholarship took him to Howard University’s medical college, where he earned a medical degree. He joined the U.S. Navy, moving to Oakland, California, where he completed an internship in internal medicine at the U.S. Naval Hospital. After serving as a battalion surgeon with the U.S. Marine Corps, he was honorably discharged from the Navy with the rank of lieutenant commander.

After returning to Washington, D.C., Howard finished a residency in anesthesiology at George Washington University Medical Center. He became the first Black attending anesthesiologist and pain physician at the center.

Howard eventually settled with his family in metro Atlanta, where he built a career in anesthesiology and pain medicine. He served as chairman of the anesthesiology department at Piedmont Rockdale Hospital and was a longtime partner with Rockdale Anesthesia Services, P.C. He later founded At Your Service Anesthesia LLC, serving as president and CEO. He was a member of First Congregational Church of Atlanta, where he served as vice president of the Men’s Fellowship.

When his three daughters were young, he coached their basketball teams, and he played both basketball and tennis with them. He was proud that each daughter graduated from Spelman College.

Throughout his life, he supported Morehouse — with both time and donations. He mentored students from Morehouse, Spelman and Emory University. He was a featured speaker in the Morehouse Pre-Health Career Society, sharing lessons with young men from his own experiences in medicine, education, leadership and life. He last spoke to the group in June 2026.

When he wasn’t working, Howard could be found in his garden, where he grew tomatoes, cucumbers and squash. He also enjoyed hydroaerobics classes at the Peachtree Corners YMCA, Leah Howard said.

“He loved grilling, and he loved making sweet potato pies,” Leah Howard said. He also started a podcast, “The Dr. Selwynn Howard Show,” on which he talked with different medical professionals, and LastWordnSports, a blog.

He is survived by his wife; his daughters; and his sisters, Saundra Howard Jackson, Danita Howard, and Lorna Howard. He is also survived by a handful of nieces and nephews.

A memorial service was held in Morehouse College’s Martin Luther King Jr. International Chapel, followed by burial at Georgia National Cemetery in Canton.