In Memoriam Tribute to Jeffrey Robbins, PhD (1950-2022).

HomeCirculation ResearchVol. 131, No. 11In Memoriam Tribute to Jeffrey Robbins, PhD (1950–2022) Free AccessObituaryPDF/EPUBAboutView PDFView EPUBSections ToolsAdd to favoritesDownload citationsTrack citationsPermissions ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InMendeleyReddit Jump toFree AccessObituaryPDF/EPUBIn Memoriam Tribute to Jeffrey Robbins, PhD (1950–2022) Sakthivel Sadayappan and Evangelia G. Kranias Sakthivel SadayappanSakthivel Sadayappan Correspondence to: Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way Cincinnati, OH 45236-0575, Email E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2006-7678 Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, Department of Internal Medicine, (S.S.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH. *S. Sadayappan and E.G. Kranias contributed equally. Search for more papers by this author and Evangelia G. KraniasEvangelia G. Kranias Evangelia G. Kranias, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology (E.G.K.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way Cincinnati, OH 45236-0575. Email E-mail Address: [email protected] https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4621-6179 Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology (E.G.K.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, Cincinnati, OH. *S. Sadayappan and E.G. Kranias contributed equally. Search for more papers by this author Originally published10 Nov 2022https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.322105Circulation Research. 2022;131:870–872“So why do I have the best job in the world? I get to ask the questions that I want to ask and can accrue the resources necessary to answer them. I get paid to play and, while playing, get to give something back to my students, fellows, colleagues, city and country. It is truly exhilarating to be able to make a difference, help people, acquire knowledge and have fun while doing it. As a boy I knew there was nothing else that I’d rather do and that is one thing that has remained constant throughout my career.”“Reflections” by Jeff Robbins during the 2009 Drake Daniel award program at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.Download figureDownload PowerPointThe cardiovascular world mourns the unexpected loss of Jeffrey Robbins, PhD, who died on August 20, 2022, in Cincinnati, OH, at the age of 71 years. Dr Robbins was known as the father of cardiac transgenesis and internationally recognized for his state-of-the-art cardiovascular research, using cardiac tissue-specific promoters and gene-targeting approaches,1,2 in investigating the molecular underpinnings of heart failure,3 hypertrophic cardiomyopathy,4 and proteotoxicity.5 Dr Robbins was Professor Emeritus of Pediatrics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC), former Director of the Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology, former Executive Co-Director of the CCHMC Heart Institute, and a Daniel Drake Medalist at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine. Dr Robbins was not only a world-renowned cardiovascular scientist but also a visionary leader, a builder, an amazing mentor, a trusted collaborator, and a passionate human being. His charismatic personality allowed him to always lead by example. He was fair and straightforward, demanding of himself and others, and always striving for excellence. He made a difference in everything that he was involved. Importantly, he impacted and molded the careers of many scientists, leading them to new levels of excellence. Jeff was known and respected for his remarkable intellect, his penetrating scientific questions, and his enthusiasm for research.Dr Robbins received his undergraduate degree in 1972 from the University of Rochester, Rochester, NY. He completed his PhD work at the University of Connecticut at Storrs, CT, in 1976. After completion of his postdoctoral fellowship at the University of Cincinnati in 1978, he assumed the position of Assistant Professor of Biochemistry, University of Missouri-Columbia, Columbia, MO. In 1985, he was recruited to the University of Cincinnati as Associate Professor of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics and promoted to Professor of Pharmacology and Cell Biophysics in 1992. In 1993, he moved to Cincinnati Children’s, one of the top three pediatric hospitals in the United States, to serve as the director of a new Division of Molecular Cardiovascular Biology. He was able to recruit young and dynamic scientists, including Jeffery Molkentin, Katherine Yutzey, and others, promoting the division to become one of the most renowned cardiovascular centers worldwide. Dr Robbins became the Associate Chair for Research at CCHMC in 1999 and later the founder of the CCHMC Heart Institute in 2008. He served as Executive Director of the institute from 2008 to 2019. Although a basic researcher, he added clinical services and hired extraordinary cardiologists and cardiovascular surgeons, advancing the stature of CCHMC Heart Institute to become a national leader in pediatric and congenital heart surgery and transplantation programs. The division that Dr Robbins inaugurated in 1993 evolved to become an Institute with as of this date over 800 employees.Dr Robbins pioneered several areas in cardiovascular genetics and generated techniques and reagents that helped to move the field forward. He discovered the α-myosin heavy chain promoter, often called the Robbins promoter. His first Circulation Research article was published in 1991, reporting the expression profile of α- and β-myosin heavy chain isoforms,6 which led to the discovery of the cardiac-specific and strongly expressing α-myosin heavy chain promoter for generating transgenic mouse models. This promoter has been used worldwide to generate hundreds of transgenic mouse models that have provided unique insights into our understanding of cardiac physiology and pathophysiology. Subsequently, his α-myosin heavy chain promoter was also used to generate cardiac-specific cre-mediated conditional knockout mice. He freely shared the promoter without conditions with over 1500 labs worldwide. His contributions established him as one of the top ten scientists nationwide in molecular cardiovascular research. His peers will remember him as a dedicated scientist that markedly advanced basic understanding of the heart structure and physiology.As a mentor, Dr Robbins was known for his leadership skills, positive guidance, and vision. He had the capacity to understand the strengths and weaknesses of his fellows and to assign scientific projects and tasks accordingly. He regularly conducted project reviews to keep his fellows “on track” and challenged them regarding the current literature. He was personally involved with and committed to his students and fellows; he insisted that they continually question their research direction and the significance of their work. As a mentor, Dr Robbins was a realist, guiding peers and students based on insights derived from his experience. This had the desired effect of avoiding preventable pitfalls. He enjoyed challenging his trainees and colleagues with new ideas and methodologies, soliciting open discussion, and providing constructive criticism. While maintaining realistic expectations, he also insisted on quality of performance, not quantity, as the best outcome. Accordingly, Dr Robbins believed in expanding his fellows’ capabilities as independent researchers. Dr Robbins famously used an annual assessment report, helping his trainees and colleagues in honestly reporting their shortcomings and goals. Dr Robbins was known to give his trainees and colleagues ample freedom to make their own experimental design decisions. However, he would judiciously intervene to provide the right balance so that they could learn from their mistakes and develop as scientists with self-confidence. His famous mantra was, “Don’t do experiments because you can; do experiments that answer your question.” His philosophy promoted novel research directions, and his trainees were the clear ultimate beneficiaries.Leadership is the ability to motivate a group of individuals toward a common goal. As a research scientist for over 30 years, Dr Robbins practiced these leadership skills in the classroom and lab, while, at the same time, earning many national and international awards recognizing his contributions to cardiovascular research. As an invited speaker, he was a master in engaging his audience and encouraging questions to stimulate discussion. He was a member of the American Heart Association (AHA) since 1990 and the International Society for Heart Research since 1998. He was Elected Fellow of the AHA and the International Society of Heart Research in 2001 and received the National AHA Research Achievement Award (2005), the AHA Basic Cardiovascular Sciences Council’s Distinguished Scientist Award (2008), and the AHA National Distinguished Scientist Award (2011). He also received the International Society for Heart Research’s Presidential Award for Research (2007) and the International Society for Heart Research’s Research Achievement Award (2010). In addition, he received the prestigious Louis and Artur Lucian Award for Research in Circulatory Diseases, the University of Cincinnati’s Rieveschl Award, the Drake Medal, and the William Cooper Procter Medallion, the highest award given by Cincinnati Children’s. Reflecting on his outstanding writing and editing abilities, he began his service on the Circulation Research editorial board in 1991 and served as a senior associate editor beginning in 2009.Although Jeff appeared tough on the surface, down deep he was a friendly and caring person. He was full of life, and his presence in the room could be loud and fun. Jeff always stayed connected with his trainees (even after they left his lab) at a personal and family level and invited them to his house as well as visiting their homes, creating a special bond. As a mentor, he always brought out the best and was quick to recognize our achievements, as well as our limitations. Throughout his career, Dr Robbins always made time for everyone, believing that open communication was the best road to acknowledging mistakes and, hence, maturing as a scientist. Dr Robbins’ philosophy was that science was a matter of experimenting and trying different methods to test a hypothesis, whether right or wrong but we must be ready to explain why an idea failed or succeeded.In summary, Jeff was an inspiration to all his colleagues. He is survived by his beloved wife of 50 years, Roselyn, 2 children, 100s of trainees, collaborators, and grateful scientists. Jeff’s substantial legacy is such that, in a sense, he is still among us. He was and is known for the “Robbinspromoter.” As we now look back on his life and impact, we can say that in a greater sense he was an incredible “promoter” of the research in the field of cardiology and the careers of cardiology researchers. He will always remain within our hearts.Article InformationSources of FundingNone.Disclosures None.Footnotes*S. Sadayappan and E.G. Kranias contributed equally.For Sources of Funding and Disclosures, see page 872.Correspondence to: Sakthivel Sadayappan, PhD, MBA, Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Cardiovascular Health and Disease, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way Cincinnati, OH 45236-0575, Email [email protected]uc.eduEvangelia G. Kranias, PhD, Department of Pharmacology and Systems Physiology (E.G.K.), University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, 231 Albert Sabin Way Cincinnati, OH 45236-0575. Email [email protected]uc.eduReferences1. James J, Robbins J. Healing a heart through genetic intervention.Circ Res. 2016; 118:920–922. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.116.308468LinkGoogle Scholar2. Robbins J. Twenty years of gene targeting: what we don’t know.Circ Res. 2011; 109:722–723. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.111.249912LinkGoogle Scholar3. James J, Robbins J. At the source: treating heart failure by altering muscle motor function.Circ Res. 2011; 109:5–7. doi: 10.1161/RES.0b013e31822765e2LinkGoogle Scholar4. Yang Q, Sanbe A, Osinska H, Hewett TE, Klevitsky R, Robbins J. In vivo modeling of myosin binding protein C familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.Circ Res. 1999; 85:841–847. doi: 10.1161/01.res.85.9.841LinkGoogle Scholar5. Singh SR, Robbins J. Desmin and cardiac disease: an unfolding story.Circ Res. 2018; 122:1324–1326. doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.118.312965LinkGoogle Scholar6. Ng WA, Grupp IL, Subramaniam A, Robbins J. Cardiac myosin heavy chain mRNA expression and myocardial function in the mouse heart.Circ Res. 1991; 68:1742–1750. doi: 10.1161/01.res.68.6.1742LinkGoogle Scholar Previous Back to top Next FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails November 11, 2022Vol 131, Issue 11 Advertisement Article InformationMetrics © 2022 American Heart Association, Inc.https://doi.org/10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.322105PMID: 36356113 Originally publishedNovember 10, 2022 PDF download Advertisement