Steve graduated from the School of Pharmacy, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in 1971. He joined the faculty there, teaching undergraduate and graduate pharmacy students in the classroom and at Haywood-Moncure Community Health Center, a family practice clinic in a nearby rural area. Steve came to Duke in 1984 to provide pharmacy services for Student Health and Duke Family Practice. He has served Student Health patients exclusively since 2002. In both his teaching and pharmacy practice, Steve has emphasized the importance of educating patients about their drug therapies, i. e. what the medication is expected to do, how to use it appropriately for best effect, potential adverse effects and other pertinent information to maximize the probability of obtaining the desired therapeutic outcome.