Dr. Robert Higgins ’77

Robert S.D. Higgins, MD, MSHA, '77, is the President and Chief Academic Officer of RUSH University and Senior Vice President of the RUSH University System for Health, where he oversees academic programs, clinical alignment, research, and external engagement activities. A distinguished physician and leader, Dr. Higgins has held prominent roles, including Surgeon-in-Chief and Halsted Professor of Surgery at Johns Hopkins, President of Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Executive Vice President of Mass General Brigham.

A graduate of Dartmouth College and Yale School of Medicine, Dr Higgins also holds a master’s in health services administration from Virginia Commonwealth University and has trained extensively in general and cardiothoracic surgery. With over 200 scientific publications and leadership positions in national professional societies, Dr. Higgins continues to advance academic medicine and healthcare innovation.

During his 12-year tenure at The Albany Academy, Dr. Higgins was a three-sport varsity athlete and captain of the football and hockey teams. A leader among his class, he was the first African American Major of the Cadet Battalion. He graduated Cum Laude from Academy before being an early acceptance matriculant at Dartmouth College.