Dr. Robert Gillio

40 years of experience as a Mayo-trained retired pulmonologist, Robert considers himself fortunate to be able to balance innovation, medical practice, community service, and family life with real success coupled with tremendous learning opportunities in activities without predicted health or business outcomes. He is a clinician who has run ICUs, and free clinics, an inventor with 15 patents and 3 exits to Fortune 500 companies with inventions used by health care professionals worldwide. He is also a social entrepreneur who has founded and supported efforts for the citizens to be the health literate caregivers and demonstrated success in extraordinary times at Ground Zero during 911 and rebuilding health care services after Hurricane Katrina, and in ordinary times in urban, suburban and rural settings. One thing he has learned is that volunteerism and grants are nice in early stages to incubate an effort, but for sustainability the solution, it must have value with a measurable achieved goals and financial return on investment. Grants and hopes and dreams disappear when new administrations or agency focus changes.