‘Kill Them with Kindness’: The Enduring Legacy of Stephen H. Miller, ’82 MD
When a grateful patient endowed a scholarship at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in honor of Stephen H. Miller, ’82 MD, it captured something essential about the Las Vegas internist’s life: his care inspired generosity in others.
Dr. Miller was a proud Northwestern alumnus and physician who was known for showing up at all hours, listening deeply, and “kill[ing]them with kindness,” a mantra he repeated to his children and personified with his patients, his son, Jason Miller, recalled.
“Above all, he wanted the best for his kids and his patients,” Miller said. “He always went above and beyond and never expected anything in return.”
That spirit is now perpetuated through the Dr. Stephen H. Miller Scholarship, established in 2005 by Sidney Kramer, a former patient who passed away just three years later. Jason Miller is helping to carry the torch forward by continuing to give to and advocate for the fund among family, friends, and acquaintances, viewing it as a way to multiply the impact of his father’s life in the next generation of Northwestern-trained doctors.
Jason and his fiancée, Jaime, said during a fall 2025 campus visit that medical school scholarships provide foundational support for future physicians—all while addressing a critical competitive need for Northwestern’s medical school. Feinberg’s scholarship endowment currently stands at $292.5 million, about one-third of an $800 million+ scholarship endowment goal.
Dr. Miller’s practice reflected the breadth and complexity of the city he served. After medical school at Northwestern, he moved to Las Vegas and quickly became the physician of choice for a remarkably diverse clientele. He cared for casino executives, real estate developers, entertainers—and, uniquely, both FBI agents and figures tied to organized crime.
Jason Miller laughs while remembering stories of his father’s waiting room: “You’d have the FBI agents on one side and some of the big mob guys on the other.” What mattered to Dr. Miller was simple: “He didn’t care what you did—he was there to provide the best care to everyone.”
Dr. Miller’s relationship with federal law enforcement deepened over decades; Dr. Miller served as the Las Vegas FBI’s physician for more than 20 years and in 2014 received an award from the then-FBI director in recognition of that service.
“He cared for all of them,” Miller said, noting that his father kept his concierge fees low so agents could access the same responsiveness his private patients received.
Patients became family. They knew he was on call most of the time, and he maintained an office space in the family home so he could check in after hours. When Dr. Miller’s health declined late in life, many of those same patients stocked his pantry and brought meals in quiet acts of gratitude for years of round-the-clock healthcare.
At Dr. Miller’s celebration of life in 2024, dozens flew across the country to honor him, from former US President Jimmy Carter’s family to patients to family members, neighbors, and friends. Many shared stories about his compassionate and life-saving care.
Jason Miller traces his own career in law to the tapestry of relationships his father wove. A longtime patient, family friend, and attorney encouraged both Jason and his late brother to pursue the legal field.
The Dr. Stephen H. Miller Scholarship represents a culmination of Dr. Miller’s life’s work and ensures that talented future Miller scholars can carry a version of his credo into exam rooms and hospital hallways for years to come, Jason Miller said.
“My father’s life was defined by his desire to provide the best care for as many people as possible,” he said. “This scholarship will help shape doctors who carry that same compassion and commitment to service, and I am honored to ensure that his legacy continues.”
For more information about scholarships, please contact Larry Kuhn at larry-kuhn@northwestern.edu or 312-503-1717.
This story was published in the March 2026 issue of The Philanthropist, a newsletter for supporters and friends of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Read past issues here.