Cultivating a Legacy: Honoring Dr. Robert A. Atkins

When Dr. Robert Atkins’ BS ’44, MD ’45 three children, Bob Atkins, Don Atkins and Peggy Stuckey, gather to talk about their father, a distinguished physician and surgeon who passed away in 2022, three clear themes emerge: community, connection and lifelong learning.

“My dad was incredibly humble and equally generous through his whole life, always putting patients first and making my siblings and me feel like we were a part of his mission,” said Peggy. “The University of Illinois and the community and connection it provided him was part of his life story and became a part of our story, too.”  That community and the connection the university provided is reflected in the gift the Atkins siblings made to the University of Illinois Chicago (UIC) to honor their father and the legacy he built.

Their donation will create the Robert A. Atkins Memorial Courtyard at the College of Medicine and the Robert A. Atkins Lectureship in Surgical Innovation in Clinical Practice in the Department of Surgery.

Together, the garden space and the lectureship will create points of connection for the College of Medicine community and encourage innovation through the sharing of ideas and experiences.

The gift also directly supports fundamental tenets of UIC’s mission, including creating knowledge that transforms the world and serving Illinois as the principal educator of health science professionals and a significant health care provider to underserved communities.

The renovated College of Medicine courtyard will serve as a gathering space and a sanctuary for students, faculty, staff, alumni and friends of the college.

The siblings’ vision is to create a space where people can find solace amidst the rigors of medical education and practice, and that serves as a vibrant hub for fostering community, collaboration, reflection and shared experiences.

Reviving the garden has been a priority for College of Medicine Executive Dean Mark Rosenblatt, and this gift gives it new meaning and longevity.

“The College of Medicine is committed to making discoveries that will impact our patients’ lives, and the impetus for discovery is often as simple as coming together to share ideas, experiences and perspectives,” Rosenblatt said. “The Atkins family’s commitment to the garden and the lectureship both honor Dr. Robert Atkins belief in community, connection and lifelong learning and fuel our college’s dedication to understanding how we can reach better patient outcomes.”

Dr. Atkins interned at Cook County Hospital after graduating from the College of Medicine and then was stationed at hospitals in Georgia with the U.S. Army. He completed his residency in surgery at Methodist Hospital in Texas and Hines Veterans Administration Hospital back in Illinois.

He then served as assistant chief of surgery at West Side Veterans Administration Hospital in Chicago. Ultimately, he settled in Champaign Urbana, established an independent practice, held a chief of surgery appointment at Cole Hospital and practiced at Burnham, OSF (Mercy) and Gibson City Hospital.

When Dr. Atkins’ first wife passed away, he made a gift to the UIC College of Pharmacy that created The Dorothy Bradley Atkins Medicinal Plant Garden to honor her life as a pharmacist and her interest in medicinal plants.

Today, it is a resource for researchers, trainees and visitors to learn about medicinal plants, their history, current uses and value for human health.

“As a lifelong learner who read medical journals his whole life, Dad liked that the Medicinal Plant Garden was used in teaching,” said Don Atkins. “We thought it would be appropriate for this gift to have a teaching aspect, and that’s where the idea for the lectureship came in.”

The Atkins lectureship will bring, on an annual basis, a leading surgeon to the College of Medicine to discuss innovations in practice with faculty, surgeons, medical students and residents.

The Department of Surgery has an exceptional reputation for clinical care and technical innovation and is a national leader in robotic surgery. Having an esteemed practitioner on site will ignite dialogue, inspire ingenuity and foster connections that will elevate patient care.

“Dr. Atkins was an accomplished surgeon who believed strongly in innovation and lifelong learning, so it is our honor to remember him with a lectureship that will bring an international superstar speaker to the College of Medicine who can educate us on important changes being made to our practice,” said Dr. Enrico Benedetti, College of Medicine professor and Warren H. Cole chair of surgery at UI Health. “We have an exceptional reputation in the field because of our focus on improving care for our patients, and this learning experience will be invaluable.”

Dr. Atkins’ three children hope this gift brings the College of Medicine community, including alumni, together in ways that multiply the gift.

“We hope people will enjoy connecting through these living memorials and will make commitments to the university and College of Medicine that assist the dean in advancing the college’s mission,” said Bob. “We also respect the diversity that is so important to the college and hope these gifts help encourage it.”

Dr. Rosenblatt shared, “Having a community of supporters who care about our institution and is thoughtful about how to make it better for those who come after them is so spectacular, and we are tremendously grateful for it.”