Center: Niraj Sharma reflects on Darryl Powell Jr.’s life and legacy.

On Nov. 17, colleagues, friends and family of the late Darryl Powell Jr., MD, gathered for a service dedicating a new outdoor bench at the Brigham in his name.

The brief ceremony was held in the Healing Garden at the Brigham, located between the 15 and 45 Francis St. entrances, where Powell’s colleagues delivered readings and shared their personal reflections on his legacy. The event also included a musical interlude performed by Minister Michael Bradley of Bethel African Methodist Episcopal Church in Boston.

Powell, chief resident in the Harvard Brigham and Women’s Hospital/Boston Children’s Hospital Combined Internal Medicine-Pediatrics Residency Training Program, passed away in April at the age of 30 after a brief illness.

“I hope this area can serve as one small reminder, one small place to come that will evoke memories of Darryl,” said Brian Hasselfeld, MD, a Medicine-Pediatrics resident. “And, maybe, it can match that feeling of missing and longing with one of remembrance.”

Niraj Sharma, MD, MPH, director of the Medicine-Pediatrics program, said he hopes people will visit the bench to find some peace and remember Powell.

“In so many respects, the beauty of this garden perfectly symbolizes Darryl,” Sharma said. “He took head-on the challenges we face in our lives and in the world, but he did it all with that gorgeous smile on his face and that beautiful, warm chuckle. He did all that work while making time for me, for you and for all of us. As I sit on this bench to rest, I will think of Darryl. I will remember the way he led his life by example and everything he taught me.”