Lewis was Professor Emeritus of Community Health and Medicine and the Donald G. Millar Distinguished Professor Emeritus of Alcohol and Addiction Studies at Brown University. A graduate of Brown and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lewis trained in internal medicine and was a fellow of the American College of Physicians. He led the Department of Community Health at Brown for five years as chair. In 1982, Dr. Lewis founded the Center for Alcohol and Addiction Studies, which he led until 2000.
The author of over 400 publications, Dr. Lewis advised Presidents, members of Congress, Governors, and philanthropists in all aspects of the field of addiction, from recovery to the legalization of drugs. A lifelong lover of photography, he traveled the world extensively with his late wife Eleanor for adventure and photo opportunities. Dr. Lewis leaves behind his children and grandchildren, an internationally regarded center of scholarly excellence at Brown, as well as a legacy of compassionate, scientifically appropriate treatment for substance use disorders.