In this Article
Beloved and renowned physician passed away at age 90.
In this Article
In June, the Baylor Scott & White Health family lost someone dear to our hearts: William C. “Bill” Roberts, MD, former executive director of the Baylor Heart and Vascular Institute and the innovative founder of the Heart-to-Heart Program at Baylor University Medical Center. He died peacefully at his home in Dallas at the age of 90.
Dr. Roberts was well known as a pioneer in cardiovascular pathology, a prolific writer of more than 1,600 peer-reviewed academic articles and a long-time editor-in-chief of both The American Journal of Cardiology and Baylor University Medical Center Proceedings. Dr. Roberts spent the first 30 years of his distinguished career at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, and the next 30 years at Baylor University Medical Center. The six decades he devoted to research impacted countless lives.
A caring gentleman with a charming Southern accent, Dr. Roberts was a humble and gracious mentor to generations of physicians, and his generosity of spirit made him a dear friend to many. He was the son of the first cardiologist in the South; the father of four children, including Charles Roberts, MD, a cardiovascular surgeon at Baylor University Medical Center; the grandfather of 11 and the great-grandfather of four. He spent his lifetime studying cardiovascular disease, all the while living life with undeniable heart.
Numerous heartfelt tributes were recently published or received by Dr. Roberts’ family and several are included below.
Heaven just admitted a very special doctor and human being.”
Nancy Vish, PhD | President and CNO, BSW Heart and Vascular Hospital
“ Cardiology and
the world lost an icon. Bill Roberts was an amazing person, physician and friend. He will be greatly missed.”Robert C. Stoler, MD
Interventional cardiologist, BUMC
“ The combination of his tireless spirit of investigation and his genuine kindness towards whoever walked through his always-open door represents a major
part of his legacy and should be an enduring lesson for all of us in medicine.”Dan Meyer, MD
Chief of cardiac transplantation, BSW Heart and Vascular Hospital
“ The late William C. Roberts was the finest teacher and most important mentor I
ever had…He was a hard taskmaster but also fair, demanding nothing less than perfection from all of us but also from himself.”Renu Virmani, MD
President, CVPath Institute, Gaithersburg, MD
“ He taught us all so much! And he did it in such a humble, kind and effective manner…I was
so fortunate to be
his student and to call him a friend and colleague.”Michael Emmett, MD
Chairman emeritus of internal medicine, BUMC
“ Dr. Roberts’ partnership with the Heart-to-Heart program, where heart transplant recipients joined him one-on-one
to sit with their old heart, was a priceless experience that our future patients will never get a chance to have. We will miss him immensely. ”Shelley Hall, MD
Chief of transplant cardiology and mechanical support/heart failure, BUMC
“ Words simply cannot express what Dr. William Roberts did for the field of preventive cardiology and the countless people he touched over the years with his writing, editing, teaching, presentations, conferences, exemplary volunteer service and mentoring. I was one of them.”
Barry A. Franklin, PhD
Preventive cardiologist, Beaumont Health
“The nearly eight years I worked with Dr. Roberts were marked with triumphs and challenges, laughter and many great memories. The lessons
I learned from him were not limited to medicine
but also how to live life, tackle it head on and always remain humble. I will cherish it forever.”Saba Ilyas | BSW Research Institute
