Robert S. D. Higgins ’85 M.D.

As a Yale medical student, Robert Higgins learned about cardiovascular medicine and immunology, which would inform his lifelong commitment to the field of transplantation—his foundational calling. At Yale, Dr. Higgins met surgeons and physicians “dedicated to treating the sickest of the sick” who inspired him to treat patients with end-stage heart and lung disease, particularly those from underserved communities. Today, those faculty members still serve as his mentors. Raised by a single mother who inspired him and his siblings to excel in their studies, Dr. Higgins received his bachelor’s degree in biology and psychology from Dartmouth College, and followed his medical degree with a master’s degree in health services administration at Virginia Commonwealth University. He completed a residency in general surgery at the University Hospitals of Pittsburgh and was a Winchester Scholar and fellow in cardiothoracic surgery at the Yale School of Medicine, where he had the opportunity to serve as the primary surgeon for heart and lung transplants in primates, as well as to write and present the results. This early career experience earned him a reputation for scholarship and advancement in the field.

 

Today, Dr. Higgins serves as the president and chief academic and clinical officer of Rush University and the senior vice president at Rush University System for Health, located on the west side of Chicago, Illinois. With a focus on advancing academic excellence and fostering innovative research, Dr. Higgins oversees an academic and clinical community of over 15,000 employees, students, and physicians. Rush University champions a learning environment that also serves its community; students care for more than 10,000 community members annually through healthcare access programs. Dr. Higgins fosters a commitment to high quality sophisticated treatments with health equity across all dimensions of his work.

 

Dr. Higgins credits his Yale education with teaching him “how to not only solve problems, but to create innovative strategies, and to answer some of the world’s most difficult healthcare challenges,” an important lesson which informed his professional path. After his medical training, he served as surgical director of the thoracic organ transplantation program at Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, Michigan, chaired cardiothoracic surgery departments at Virginia Commonwealth Universities and Rush Medical College, served as surgeon in-chief and director at The Ohio State University’s Wexner Medical Center Comprehensive Transplant Center, and was the surgeon-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. Prior to his current position, Dr. Higgins was the president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital.

 

A renowned cardiothoracic surgeon, Dr. Higgins’s influence extends far beyond the clinical setting. He has served as president of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the United Network for Organ Sharing, has authored over 200 scientific articles and book chapters, and has consistently advocated for health equity and diversity in healthcare. Dr. Higgins believes that “external circumstances are often difficult for us to manage, but we can always choose how we respond to them.” His leadership has been recognized with multiple awards, including the Class of 1981 John G. Kemeny Award from Dartmouth College and the Fellowship Ad Hominem of the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Dr. Higgins is a non-trustee member of the Yale Corporation Committee on the School of Medicine and a member of the Yale University Council, an advisory group to the president, which he sees as a “best practice to help Yale continue its excellence.” He is a retired major from the United States Army Reserve Medical Corps and has contributed to numerous boards, including the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society, Sigma Pi Phi Fraternity-Beta Boulé, The Economic Club of Chicago and the YMCA of Metropolitan Chicago.