In July 2015, Robert Higgins stepped into his new position as the William Stewart Halsted Professor of Surgery and surgeon-in-chief of The Johns Hopkins Hospital. The cardiothoracic and heart-lung transplant surgeon succeeds colorectal surgeon Jonathan Efron, who served as the interim director since 2014.

“I have to pinch myself because I find myself in a historic leadership opportunity,” says Higgins. “My goal is to continue to build on the foundation already established here at Johns Hopkins—and go even further.”

William Halsted changed the landscape of surgical training 125 years ago. As Johns Hopkins’ first surgeon-in-chief, Halsted built the surgical residency, crafted the first surgical approach that cured patients of breast cancer and oversaw many other innovations that improved patient care.

After Halsted came Dean Lewis, Alfred Blalock, George Zuidema, John Cameron and Julie Freischlag, along with countless innovations and strides in surgical techniques, education and training, and translational research and investigation. Now Higgins continues the tradition in a style he calls “servant leadership.”

“I see myself as a facilitator of the surgical success of my colleagues, fellow faculty members and trainees, who uphold the Johns Hopkins legacy of delivering the finest clinical care while training the next generation of surgeons and facilitating groundbreaking research and discoveries,” says Higgins.

Already, Higgins is an avid supporter of the efforts of his colleagues, including a project that originated with his predecessor. In 2011, Efron joined with other specialists from the societies for surgery, radiology, pathology and oncology to establish standards for care and optimize treatment outcomes for rectal cancer.

In 2015, the standard principles were presented to the American College of Surgeons, which will ultimately decide where to establish the first pilot programs. “The practices enhance the overall experience of patients,” says Efron. “We also think they will lead to better outcomes.”

Higgins also looks forward to setting the standard of excellence for other specialties in surgery. “We have an incredibly gifted and accomplished set of surgeons who exemplify excellence and innovation,” he says. “We will continue to use our resources to invest in their success.” 

Editor’s Note: Robert Higgins left Johns Hopkins Medicine Nov. 30, 2021, to become president of Brigham and Women’s Hospital and executive vice president at Mass General Brigham, in Boston.