Brian Patrick Driscoll, M.D.

Dr. Brian Patrick Driscoll, 66, of Ellicott City, Maryland, passed away on September 16, 2026, following an eight-year battle with cancer. A devoted husband, father, brother, physician, teacher, and friend, Brian will be remembered for his dedication to his patients and colleagues, his love of family, and his wonderful sense of humor.

Brian was born on October 14, 1959, in Norwich, Connecticut, to John Patrick Driscoll and Helen Doyle Driscoll. He met his future wife, Marcia, in 1981 at a dance hosted by the University of Connecticut Honors Program. They married in 1985 and shared more than four decades together, raising three children and building a family filled with love, laughter, and adventure.

Brian's path to medicine began in pharmacy. He earned his Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy, magna cum laude, from the University of Connecticut School of Pharmacy in 1983 before earning his M.D. from the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio in 1989. He completed residency training in General Surgery and Otolaryngology at Yale-New Haven Hospital and Yale School of Medicine, followed by a fellowship in Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Michigan.

Brian built a distinguished career as an otolaryngologist and facial plastic and reconstructive surgeon. He served on the faculty at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston and subsequently practiced in Florida and Maryland. For many years, he was a physician with Maryland ENT Associates, where he was deeply respected and loved by his patients and colleagues. He retired from medical practice in January 2026.

Brian also devoted substantial time to academic medicine and teaching. He served as a clinical consultant in Otolaryngology with the National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) from 2003 until his retirement from NIH in 2017. He was an Assistant Professor of Surgery in the Division of Otolaryngology at George Washington University, where he taught medical students and surgical residents in the office and at Holy Cross Hospital. His clinical appointments included Suburban Hospital, Holy Cross Hospital, Adventist White Oak Medical Center, and the Surgery Center of Silver Spring.

Brian was an accomplished physician, surgeon, teacher, researcher, and author. His professional contributions included numerous publications, book chapters, presentations, and work in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, and facial plastic and reconstructive surgery. He was board certified in Otolaryngology. Later he completed a Facial Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery fellowship; he was awarded the Jack R. Anderson Prize for Scholastic Excellence in 1998 for the highest exam score in the U.S. for fellows taking the certifying examination.

But for all that Brian accomplished professionally, his greatest source of happiness was his family.

He made an extraordinary effort to be present for his children despite the demands of a busy surgical career and frequent hospital call, including many weekends and overnight consults at the emergency department. He loved attending his children's sporting events and took an active role in their activities. He coached recreational basketball for both Stephen and Connor and served as Connor's Cub Scout leader for several years. His love of basketball was contagious and helped inspire Alexandra's own love of the game; she went on to play basketball at the collegiate level.

Brian was also the family's unofficial sports cameraman long before smartphones made recording every moment effortless. An amateur photographer and videographer, he would bring his camera to his children’s basketball games and record their play. His cameras captured not only the games, but also the simple moments of his children's lives that he wanted to preserve.

As his children grew older, Brian especially enjoyed talking with them about their interests and careers. He loved discussing law and politics with Stephen and Connor, both of whom became attorneys, and enjoyed talking about medicine with Alexandra, who works as a sonographer. He was immensely proud of each of them and cherished the relationships they developed as adults.

Brian was known for his quick wit and playful sense of humor. He loved cracking jokes and doing impressions, particularly his attempts at Scottish and Irish accents. The only problem was that sometimes nobody could quite tell which accent he was attempting, which, to Brian, was probably part of the fun. His humor and ability to make people laugh were an important part of what made him so beloved by his family and friends.

Brian was adventurous. He enjoyed cycling, running, weight training, playing guitar, photography, videography, traveling, and spending time outdoors. His love of athletics began early. He was an outstanding high school athlete, earning recognition as a champion runner in both cross-country and track and serving as captain of his soccer team. His lifelong enthusiasm for sports and physical activity remained an important part of who he was.

He was also a private pilot and flew a Cessna for several years while living in Texas. He loved exploring new places and learning about other cultures, traveling to more than 20 countries over his life.

One of his favorite trips was to Ireland with his family, where he and Marcia explored the counties of Cork and Kerry to learn more about the Driscoll family ancestry. The trip combined several things Brian loved: travel, history, family, and the opportunity to better understand where his family came from.

Although medicine was an important part of Brian's life, it was never what defined him most. His greatest joy came from spending time with his family. Even with a demanding surgical career and frequent weekends on call, he made a conscious effort to be present for the important moments in their lives. He valued family conversations, sporting events, travel, laughter, and the many ordinary moments that became cherished memories.

Brian is survived by his beloved wife of more than 40 years, Dr. Marcia Sanford Driscoll of Ellicott City, Maryland; his son, Stephen Patrick Driscoll of New York City; his son, Connor Patrick Driscoll of Salisbury, Maryland; his daughter, Alexandra Nicole Driscoll, and her spouse, Emma Altonji, of Tacoma, Washington; his brother, Michael Owen Driscoll, and his spouse, Misaaki Shimizu, of Westport, Connecticut, and his sister Margaret Ann Flaherty and her spouse, Dennis Michael Flahertry of Stratford, Connecticut. He also leaves behind extended family, dear friends, colleagues, former students, and patients who will miss him deeply.

Brian's family will remember him not only for his accomplishments as a physician, but for the love, laughter, encouragement, and presence he gave them. His professional legacy lives on through the patients he cared for, the physicians he taught, and the contributions he made to his field. But his greatest legacy is the family he loved so deeply and the countless memories he created with them.

A Visitation will be held at Donaldson Funeral Home of Clarksville, P.A., 12540 Clarksville Pike, Clarksville, Maryland 21029, on Tuesday, September 22, 2026, from 2:00–4:00 p.m. and 6:00–8:00 p.m.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. Francis of Assisi Church, 8300 Old Columbia Road, Fulton, Maryland 20759, on Wednesday, September 23, 2026, at 10:30 a.m., followed by a reception at The Turn House at Hobbit’s Glen Golf Course, 11130 Willow Bottom Drive, Columbia, Maryland 21044.

Interment at St. Louis Cemetery will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations in Dr. Brian Driscoll's loving memory be made to The V Foundation for Cancer Research at v.org.

This Obituary was submitted by Brian's loving family.