Robert Gross, MD, MSCE, Penn CFAR Co-Director, is the winner of the 2025 Penn Medicine, Robert Suskind and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Faculty Prize in Global Health.
Dr. Gross was recognized for committing effort to training emerging international scholars over and above his robust domestic and international research portfolios and leadership efforts as Penn CFAR Co-Director. He was commended for a career that propels new discoveries while also helping our partner countries attain their goals of research independence and, ultimately, improved health outcomes.
Robert has mentored a range of health professionals including physicians, nurses, dentists, psychologists, dieticians, midwives, laboratory research assistants, and mobile health informatics specialists. It is especially noteworthy that he continues to mentor many of these trainees as they advance in their careers and various leadership roles within the country’s academic and health sectors. The breadth and depth of his efforts will undoubtedly be felt well into Botswana’s future as these leaders serve as role models for the generations that follow.
This award was created by Penn alum Bob Suskind, MD (C’59, M’63) and his wife, Leslie Lewinter-Suskind, MSS, MFA, who generously endowed an annual award recognizing a PSOM faculty member who exemplifies their lifelong commitment to improving global health and access to care through training partnerships. This prize is a complement to the Robert Suskind, C’59, M’63 and Leslie Lewinter-Suskind Prize in Global Health for graduating medical students endowed by Bob and Leslie in 2013.