Skip to main content
Dr. Joe Robertson, an influential past president of Oregon Health & Science University, has died.
A retinal surgeon who joined the OHSU faculty in 1985, Robertson led OHSU as its president from 2006 to 2017, when he stepped down following a multiple sclerosis diagnosis, the school said.
Robertson led Oregon’s flagship medical institution during a time of notable development. The Portland Aerial Tram from the Willamette riverfront to Marquam Hill opened shortly after he became president. Also during his tenure, OHSU completed a massive fundraising campaign to build out the OHSU Knight Cancer Institute.
In a news release Friday announcing Robertson’s death, OHSU said his presidency was marked by a focus “on the needs of all Oregonians.”
He set the tone, the school said, by spending his first day as president in John Day, and he championed OHSU’s collaboration with hospitals throughout the state.
“Today, Oregon mourns the passing of a visionary leader, a healer, and a tireless advocate for health equity across our state,” Gov. Tina Kotek said in a written statement. “Dr. Joe Robertson dedicated nearly four decades to Oregon Health & Science University, shaping the future of medicine, research, and education in Oregon and beyond. Oregon honors his legacy, not only in the institutions he helped build, but in the countless lives he touched. May we continue his mission with the same courage, vision, and heart that defined his life.”
Robertson first joined OHSU as a resident in ophthalmology in 1979, the school says, before he became a faculty member six years later. Early on, the school says, he became part of an international research project that ultimately developed a treatment for a condition that meant blindness for premature infants, but today is rare and can be successfully treated.
Robertson went on to serve as director of the OHSU Casey Eye Institute and dean of its School of Medicine.
Then came his turn as president.
Under Robertson’s leadership, OHSU underwent its significant South Waterfront expansion. He worked with Dr. Brian Druker on the successful completion of the Knight Cancer Challenge, helping bring $1 billion for early cancer detection research.
“This is one of those things that’s transformational,” he told WW as he pushed for funding for that project from the state. “It is Oregon that is changing the approach to cancer treatment. As we look back, this is going to be like the Bottle Bill. This is going to be one of those things that Oregon is known for.”
As president, OHSU has said, Robertson also expanded its clinical, research and academic programs—around the state with the Campus for Rural Health, as well as through partnerships and programs in Southeast Asia.
In 2017, he stepped down as president. “My diagnosis was a shock to me and my family,” he said of the MS diagnosis, which was described as mild at the time. “While my doctors assure me that I could continue to execute my role as president, this news has compelled me to re-evaluate my future and my family’s well-being.”
In recognition of his impact, the OHSU Board of Directors in 2018 renamed the Collaborative Life Sciences Building at the foot of the Tilikum Crossing to the Robertson Life Sciences Building.
“Joe Robertson was an exemplary leader and his vision for ensuring OHSU’s reach extends far beyond the Portland-metro area to every corner of the state remains our steadfast commitment today,” said OHSU President Dr. Shereef Elnahal, in a written statement. “Our hearts go out to his family, and the extensive circle of friends, supporters and admirers around the state and well beyond.”
