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TMC Chief Robbins to Serve as Class of 2013 Commencement Speaker May 10

College Honors Graduates, Preceptors at May 9 Awards Reception


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Texas Medical Center President & Chief Executive Officer Robert C. Robbins, M.D.

04-24 Houston - Texas Medical Center President & Chief Executive Officer Robert C. Robbins, M.D., will serve as Commencement Speaker for UH College of Pharmacy's Class of 2013 Commencement at 9 a.m. Friday, May 10, in Cullen Performance Hall at UH main campus.

In addition to recognizing students who successfully completed the requirements of UHCOP's Pharm.D., Pharmacy Administration and Pharmacology programs, the college will honor members of the Class of 1963 as "Golden Cougars" in recognition of the 50 anniversary of their graduation. 

Commencement activities begin Thursday, May 9, with the Graduation Awards Reception, which recognizes dozens of students who distinguished themselves through academic excellence, outstanding community service, professional leadership and exemplary personal character during their time in the college. Several clinical/health system, community and faculty preceptors who provided service to training and mentoring Pharm.D. students during their fourth year experiential rotations also will be honored at the reception, which will be held 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at the UH Hilton.

Dr. Robbins assumed leadership of the TMC in November 2012 after serving as professor and chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery at Stanford University School of Medicine, where he had been a faculty member since 1993. He served as director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute, of the Heart-Lung and Lung Transplantation Programs, and of the Cardiothoracic Transplantation Laboratory.

Dr. Robbins is an internationally recognized cardiac surgeon who has focused his clinical efforts on acquired cardiac diseases with a special expertise in the surgical treatment of congestive heart failure. His research work includes the investigation of stem cells for cardiac regeneration, cardiac transplant allograft vasculopathy, bioengineered blood vessels, and automated vascular anastomotic devices. Dr. Robbins has lectured widely and published more than 292 peer reviewed articles.

He earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry from Millsaps College and a medical degree from the University of Mississippi. He completed his general surgical training at the University of Mississippi and his cardiothoracic training at Stanford. Dr. Robbins also completed post-doctoral research and fellowship positions at Columbia University, the National Institutes of Health, Emory University and Royal Children’s Hospital.

An ex-officio of the Houston Livestock Show & Rodeo, Dr. Robbins currently sits on the Advisory Board of the Ronald McDonald House in Houston and on the Board of Directors for Texas Medical Center, the Greater Houston Partnership, the Greater Houston Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Houston Academy of Medicine Texas Medical Center Library, the Houston Technology Center, and the Friends of Houston Academy of Medicine Texas Medical Center Library.

For more information, please visit the Awards Reception and Commencement pages.