Robert C. Robbins

Robbins was born in Laurel, Mississippi, and raised by his maternal grandparents, where he spent much of his childhood at the local community college, where his grandfather was a math professor.{{cite web |last1=Alexis |first1=Blue |title=Meet 'Bobby': The UA's new motivator-in-chief |url=http://arizonaalumni.com/article/meet-bobby |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171203163607/http://arizonaalumni.com/article/meet-bobby |url-status=usurped |archive-date=December 3, 2017 |website=The University of Arizona Alumni Association |access-date=28 June 2018}} In high school, Robbins was inspired to pursue medicine, in part due to the lack of local physicians. He later earned his first undergraduate degree in Chemistry from Millsaps College. In 1983, he received his medical degree from the University of Mississippi.{{cite web|url=https://public.azregents.edu/News%20Clips%20Docs/Robbins.pdf|title=Robert Clayton Robbins, MD: CURRICULUM VITAE|date=28 November 2016|access-date=28 June 2018}}

After receiving his medical degree in 1983, he continued work as a resident at the University of Mississippi until 1989, with an emphasis in general surgery. He then began a residency at Stanford University Hospital, specializing in cardiothoracic surgery until 1992, before working as a pediatric fellow at Emory University School of Medicine and Royal Children's Hospital in Australia. Beginning in 1993, Robbins acted as the director of the cardiothoracic transplantation laboratory at the Stanford University School of Medicine until 2012, becoming the chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Surgery in 2005.{{Cite web|url=http://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2005/02/robbins-named-chair-of-stanfords-department-of-cardiothoracic-surgery.html|title=ROBBINS NAMED CHAIR OF STANFORD'S DEPARTMENT OF CARDIOTHORACIC SURGERY|website=News Center|language=en|access-date=2018-06-28}} During his time at the Stanford University School of Medicine, Robbins maintained active roles in a variety of public and professional service, including serving on the education committee for the American Association for Thoracic Surgery and the strategic planning committee for the American Heart Association.

On November 5, 2012, Robbins left Stanford's school of medicine to work as the president and CEO of the Texas Medical Center,{{Cite web|url=https://med.stanford.edu/news/all-news/2012/09/robbins-leaving-stanford-to-be-new-head-of-texas-medical-center.html|title=Robbins leaving Stanford to be new head of Texas Medical Center|website=News Center|language=en|access-date=2018-06-28}} before becoming the 22nd president of the University of Arizona in 2017.{{Cite web|url=https://www.flinn.org/arizona-bioscience-news-ua-names-lone-finalist-for-president-job-flagstaff-stem-celebration-expands-new-tucson-stem-center-opens/|title=Arizona Bioscience News: UA names lone finalist for president job; Flagstaff STEM celebration expands; New Tucson STEM center opens|website=www.flinn.org|date=9 March 2017 |language=en-US|access-date=2018-06-28}}{{Cite news|url=https://uanews.arizona.edu/story/regents-approve-robbins-new-ua-president|title=Regents Approve Robbins as New UA President|work=UANews|access-date=2018-06-28|language=en}} In 2021, he was given a one-year contract extension (to 2024) and an 8% pay raise, for a total compensation estimated at $1 million per year.{{cite news |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/university-of-arizona-president-gets-8-raise-contract-extension-to-2024/article_70af5ea8-217e-11ec-99f0-4f97fa7ac314.html |title=University of Arizona president gets 8% raise, contract extension to 2024 |newspaper=Arizona Daily Star |first=Kathryn |last=Palmer |date=September 30, 2021 |accessdate=December 15, 2023}} Amidst a financial crisis, Robbins announced his intention to step down in 2026 at the latest.{{Cite web |last=Wolfe |first=Ellie |date=2024-04-02 |title=University of Arizona President Robert C. Robbins to step down in 2026 — or sooner |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/runiversity-of-arizona-robert-robbins-president-resign/article_c37f9b32-f117-11ee-983c-537ca5dd81d8.html |access-date=2024-04-02 |website=Arizona Daily Star |language=en}}

In the spring of 2023, the Faculty Senate at the University of Arizona gave R.C. Robbins a vote of “no confidence” due, in part, to the university leadership’s inaction regarding a violent student who would go on to fatally shoot a professor in October 2022.{{cite web |title= UA Faculty Senate passes 'no confidence' vote on university president |url= https://www.azcentral.com/story/news/local/arizona-education/2023/03/29/ua-president-no-confidence-vote-from-faculty/70057246007/ |website=Arizona Republic}} He received a pay raise in October 2023 from the Arizona Board of Regents.{{cite web |title=Arizona University Presidents Awarded Pay Raises And Bonuses |url= https://arizonadailyindependent.com/2023/10/01/arizona-university-presidents-awarded-pay-raises-bonuses/ |website=Arizona Daily Independent}} This was followed by his decision in December 2023 to enact hiring freezes, eliminate the Salary Increase Program and Pay Structure Increase for staff and faculty and Tuition Guarantee Program for students, and restrict purchasing by university departments due to the University of Arizona’s poor financial position.{{cite web |title= University of Arizona Financial Action Plan |url= https://www.arizona.edu/financial-updates/action-plan |website=The University of Arizona}}

On October 1, 2024, Robbins stepped down from his position as president of the University of Arizona.{{Cite web |title=Meet President Suresh Garimella, the U of A's newest Wildcat {{!}} University of Arizona News |url=https://news.arizona.edu/news/meet-president-suresh-garimella-u-newest-wildcat |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=news.arizona.edu}} He was succeeded by Suresh Garimella. He is expected to continue working for the university's College of Medicine in Tucson as a tenured professor, where he may continue receiving a total compensation package of nearly $1 million and remain eligible for presidential-level bonuses through the end of his contract in 2026.{{Cite web |last=Wolfe |first=Ellie |date=2024-09-25 |title=Outgoing U of A president may receive presidential-level bonuses while teaching |url=https://tucson.com/news/local/education/college/university-arizona-president-robert-robbins-transition-contract/article_7c07fb70-7b58-11ef-b05d-978b2f7657be.html |access-date=2024-10-02 |website=Arizona Daily Star |language=en}}

In 2025, Robbins was named a Distinguished Visiting Fellow of the Hoover Institution.{{Cite web |title=Robert “Bobby” Robbins |url=https://www.hoover.org/profiles/robert-bobby-robbins |access-date=2025-02-02 |website=Hoover Institution |language=en}}

Robbin's publications include more than 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, spanning a variety of research topics including the investigation of stem cells for cardiac regeneration, cardiac transplant allograft vasculopathy, bioengineered blood vessels, and automated vascular anastomotic devices.{{Cite web|url=https://president.arizona.edu/dr-robert-c-robbins-biography|title=Dr. Robert C. Robbins Biography {{!}} President|website=president.Arizona.edu|language=en|access-date=2018-06-28}}

• Haematopoietic stem cells adopt mature haematopoietic fates in ischaemic myocardium (2004){{Cite journal|last1=Balsam|first1=Leora|last2=Wagers|first2=Amy|last3=Christensen|first3=Julie|last4=Robbins|first4=R.C.|title=Haematopoietic stem cells adopt mature haematopoietic fates in ischaemic myocardium.|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nature02460|journal=Nature|volume=428|pages=668–673|doi=10.1038/nature02460|year=2004|issue=6983 |pmid=15034594 |bibcode=2004Natur.428..668B |s2cid=4426804 |url-access=subscription}}
• Bridge-to-transplant with the Novacor left-ventricular assist system (1999){{Cite journal|last1=Robbins|first1=R.C.|last2=Oyer|first2=P.E.|title=Bridge-to-transplant with the Novacor left-ventricular assist system|journal=The Annals of Thoracic Surgery|year=1999 |volume=68 |issue=2 |pages=695–697|doi=10.1016/s0003-4975(99)00595-0 |pmid=10475473 }}
• Human Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels for Adult Arterial Revascularization (2006){{Cite journal|last1=L'Heureux|first1=N.|title= Human Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessels for Adult Arterial Revascularization|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nm1364|journal=Nature Methods|volume=12|pages=361-365|doi=10.1038/nm1364|year=2006|pmc=1513140}}
• A Nonviral Minicircle Vector for Deriving Human iPS Cells (2010){{Cite journal|last1=Jia|first1=Fangjun|title=A nonviral minicircle vector for deriving human iPS cells|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/nmeth.1426|journal=Nature Methods|volume=7|pages=197-199|doi=10.1038/nmeth.1426|year=2010|pmc=2892897}}
• Stem Cell Transplantation: The Lung Barrier (2007){{Cite journal|last1=Schrepfer|first1=S.|title=Stem Cell Transplantation: The Lung Barrier|url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0041134506015661|journal=Elsevier|volume=39|pages=573-576|doi=10.1016/j.transproceed.2006.12.019|year=2007|url-access=subscription}}
• Patient-Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Model for Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy (2012){{Cite journal|last1=Ning|first1=Sun|title=Patient Specific Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells as a Model for Familial Dilated Cardiomyopathy|url=https://www.science.org/doi/abs/10.1126/scitranslmed.3003552|journal=Science Translational Medicine|volume=4|pages=130-47|doi=10.1126/scitranslmed.3003552|year=2012|pmc=3657516}}

{{Reflist}}

{{University of Arizona presidents}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Robbins, Robert C.}}

Category:1957 births

Category:Living people

Category:Presidents of the University of Arizona

Category:American thoracic surgeons

Category:20th-century American physicians

Category:21st-century American physicians

Category:Millsaps College

Category:University of Mississippi Medical Center alumni

Category:Stanford University School of Medicine faculty

Category:People from Laurel, Mississippi

Category:Physicians from Mississippi