Award: Physician — Surgeon
Dr. Robert Obermeyer, chief of surgery at Children’s Hospital of The King’s Daughters, ensures the hospital remains a top facility for pediatric surgical care while putting his engineering degree to use in developing new technology to improve clinical outcomes.
Obermeyer has become an expert at chest wall reconstruction, giving presentations all over the world, according to his nomination. He collaborated with surgeons from Switzerland and was instrumental in bringing to CHKD a non-surgical option, which uses a vacuum bell device, for select patients with pectus excavatum. The collaboration introduced vacuum bell therapy to the United States in 2012.
The board-certified pediatric and general surgeon is the principal investigator on nine Institutional Review Board-approved research studies at Eastern Virginia Medical School. He has completed engineering projects involving motion analysis of the chest wall of pectus patients and designed a surgical tool in collaboration with Old Dominion University’s college of engineering. Obermeyer is also an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at EVMS.
In addition to championing CHKD’s surgery program, he also helped the health system garner support for its mental health care efforts, including for a pediatric mental health hospital in the region.
Obermeyer shared career insights with Inside Business.
Why do you do what you do? Like many of us in health care, I am driven by an innate desire to help others, particularly children and their families. Whether it’s a simple surgery to repair an umbilical hernia or a complex chest wall reconstruction, I treat every patient as if it’s the most important case of my career.
What keeps you motivated? The commitment to patient care and the trust placed in me by patients and families keep me motivated. Additionally, leading and championing the surgery program at CHKD and witnessing the positive impact it has on children’s health, fuels my dedication.
How do you cope with challenges? Talking with family, friends and colleagues followed by lots of reflection helps improve my perspective and prevents strategy myopia. Exercise and an occasional deep breath also help.
What are you most proud of? Usually, my last accomplishment, but it is only short-lived until the next challenge arises. Obviously, one recent accomplishment I am proud of was overseeing CHKD’s reverification process for our Level I Children’s Surgery Center designation. I worked with a great team, and it was a challenge for all of us. However, seeing the American College of Surgeons plaque on our wall, which signifies our dedication and ability to provide the highest level of care to the children of our community, is extremely rewarding.
How do you measure success? While I measure success by my contributions to CHKD’s surgical program, I still consider taking care of patients my true calling. It is a gift I am thankful to share with CHKD patients and their families every day.
What lessons have you learned? It is so important to have an open mind to find the best solution possible for a problem. Institutional problems, much like patient and family challenges, are often more nuanced than they seem at initial glance.
Any advice for those in health care leadership? It is often said that institutional improvement is a journey, but I would say it is more like an expedition, which is a journey that includes a group of people for a specific purpose. For this reason, you must keep talking to those who agree with you and those who don’t. Learn from both. Recognize that improvement is often incremental and even the most beautiful reports and dashboards don’t solve problems — you and your team do!
