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After 55 years delivering life — having delivered more than 7,000 babies — Robert T. Gunby, MD, calls it a day.
In this Article
Just before hanging up his scrubs for good, Robert T. “Bob” Gunby Jr., MD, delivered one last baby at Baylor University Medical Center (BUMC)—a healthy baby boy born March 2—marking the culmination of a 55-year career devoted to caring for mothers, babies and families. That baby was Thomas, the second child Dr. Gunby delivered for Mary Shuford Pyzik and her family.
The moment carried special meaning. Mary learned at her final OB appointment that Thomas would be the last baby Dr. Gunby delivered before retiring.
“I was so touched that I cried,” she said. “I legitimately tried to time my second baby to come before he retired because I didn’t want any other doctor doing my delivery.”
Over his career, Dr. Gunby delivered more than 7,000 babies—though he is quick to note that no two deliveries were ever the same. He formed deep relationships with many families he cared for over decades.
“You spend eight or nine months with these young women during pregnancy. You get to know them. You get to know their husbands and families,” Dr. Gunby said. “It’s a very personal field.”
Mary’s family had known Dr. Gunby for nearly 30 years. He served as her grandmother’s obstetrician later in life and was also a longtime customer at her family’s art gallery—an example of the personal connections he formed both inside and outside the hospital.
As he prepares to retire, those relationships have been among the hardest things to leave behind.
“I’ve had patients I’ve known for 50 years,” Dr. Gunby said. “When I tell them I’m retiring, they’re crying and I’m crying.”
Colleagues describe Dr. Gunby as a physician’s physician—someone known for his experience, composure and willingness to step in at any hour, day or night. Over his career, he trained hundreds of residents and fellows, emphasizing skill and compassion.
“You have to try to do your very best for every single patient every single day, regardless of the time of day or how tired you are,” he said.
He also helped shape the culture of care at BUMC. Long before team-based models became standard, Dr. Gunby fostered collaboration between physicians and nurses.
“Dr. Gunby role modeled this behavior before it was an expectation,” said Kristine DeButy, director of Nursing for Women’s and Children’s Services at BUMC. “He created an atmosphere where nurses and physicians could have dialogue and it was safe to speak up.”
Dr. Gunby also played a key role in expanding access to care, helping develop a hospitalist model to ensure mothers without prenatal care received consistent follow-up and safe deliveries.
“You have to respect every single patient regardless of their status in life and try to make them feel good about themselves,” he said.
Dr. Gunby helped position BUMC at the forefront of innovation. When leaders at BUMC launched the nation’s first uterus transplant program, he embraced the effort and delivered the first baby born from a uterus transplant in the United States.
“I’ve delivered a lot of babies, but this one was special,” he said. “When I started my career, we didn’t even have sonograms. Now we’re putting in uteruses from someone else and getting a baby.”
On March 2, his final day felt unlike any other. For Mary, the delivery became a shared celebration.
“I felt like a celebrity at the hospital,” she said. “So many nurses stopped by, many of them teary-eyed, to be a part of his final delivery. It’s so clear how loved and admired he is by all the staff at Baylor.”
After 55 years, thousands of deliveries and countless moments at the bedside, Dr. Gunby’s career closed the way it was lived: with a family welcoming a healthy child into the world—and a community gathered in gratitude.
A century of excellence: Women’s and Children’s Care at BUMC
During Dr. Gunby’s tenure, women’s and children’s services at BUMC have grown into one of the most advanced programs in Texas, caring for thousands of families each year.
Each year:
- More than 5,000 babies are delivered.
- Approximately 600 newborns receive specialized care in the Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit.
- BUMC serves as a regional referral center for high-risk mothers and infants.
The program includes advanced services in high-risk labor and delivery, a Level IV NICU, maternal and neonatal transport teams, and initiatives such as the Tiniest Texans™ program for micro-preemies.
It has also earned national recognition from U.S. News & World Report for maternity care.
