He has had a diverse and long spanning
career in public health. He even served a previous stint
as Commissioner of Health from 1990 to 1994. He has also
served as chief deputy to the Commissioner, acting
Commissioner, state epidemiologist, deputy commissioner for
community health services. In that last role, he was
responsible for oversight and management of the local public
health system in Virginia, and as assistant Commissioner for
health protection and environmental management. Locally,
he has also been a district health director for both Fairfax
and Chesterfield Counties, and as a deputy director in Prince
William County.
It is worth nothing that none of these
posts would have ever been filled by him if fate had taken his
path a different way. In fact, he had a hand in altering
his fate. He quit med school, and almost gave up on
medicine altogether. He told us the story while sitting
at a conference table in his office. “I went to
William and Mary, then I went to med school,” he said.
“I went through the Medical College of Virginia
(MCV) for three years and then I quit. I loved learning,
but I couldn’t decide what I wanted to be in medicine.
“Now I didn’t want to be a
pediatrician, I didn’t want to be a psychiatrist or
whatever, so I said I’m going to try something else.
I took a year off. When I was away, I did a lot of
reading. The idea of becoming disease detective kind of
intrigued me. I went back to med school with the idea of
going into epidemiology. I’d read about it, and
figured out why people got sick and what causes outbreaks.
There was a series of books back then that kind of
intrigued me, and I said, ‘that’s interesting.
That’s something I can constantly learn
from.’”
Editor’s note: Dr. Stroube is not only our Commissioner of Health,
he also specialized in epidemiology. Epidemiology is the
medical discipline that specializes in the causes and control
of epidemics, and the elements that contribute to disease.
DR. STROUBE BIO in brief:
Dr. Robert Bruce Stroube is Commissioner
of Health for the Commonwealth. In this capacity,
he serves as the
principal advisor to the Governor, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and the Virginia General Assembly on a wide range of issues that affect the public health.
He was acting Commissioner on 9/11 and led the department’s response to the attack on the Pentagon and later anthrax scares. He has held virtually ever leadership position in public health at the state and local level including a previous stint as Commissioner from 1990 to 1994.
principal advisor to the Governor, Secretary of Health and Human Resources, and the Virginia General Assembly on a wide range of issues that affect the public health.
He was acting Commissioner on 9/11 and led the department’s response to the attack on the Pentagon and later anthrax scares. He has held virtually ever leadership position in public health at the state and local level including a previous stint as Commissioner from 1990 to 1994.
You wouldn’t know it to look at what
he's accomplished as Commission of Health for the
Commonwealth of Virginia, but Dr. Robert Bruce Stroube was a
reluctant candidate for the job. In fact, when asked if
he’d take
the post he respectfully declined. More than once. It appears someone wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. That, many people have said, is a good thing.
the post he respectfully declined. More than once. It appears someone wouldn’t take “no” for an answer. That, many people have said, is a good thing.
We met with Dr. Stroube (pronounced
Stroobee) on a foggy winter day at his office in downtown
Richmond. His office overlooks the downtown skyline and
James River, but our sense the day we visited was that a
gorgeous view is almost wasted on someone who is constantly
engaged in activities in the capital and across the state.
He would be a perfect character in a mystery, or a
reality medical show - the doctor/detective who figures out
every crime by chasing down and correctly identifying the
culprit by their or its tell tale forensic clues.
In real life, he does just that. He is a self
described “disease detective.” An
epidemiologist by training, he is highly motivated by mysteries
and solving challenges. It’s a good thing.
There is never a dull moment in his life as Commissioner
of Health.
Bob Stoube is a down to earth,
common sense guy. He sets the standard
for what all senior
government leaders should be.
common sense guy. He sets the standard
for what all senior
government leaders should be.
- Laurens Sartoris
Virginia Hospital and Healthcare Assn.
