When he came to Yale School of Medicine, Robert Rock did not expect that he’d end up falling for Family Medicine. Now reaching the end of his time as a medical student, Rock has earned what many consider the most prestigious recognition possible for someone considering a career in Family Medicine: one of six slots as a Pisacano Leadership Foundation’s (PLF) “Pisacano Scholar.”
The PLF is the American Board of Family Medicine’s philanthropic foundation. It aims to help develop the discipline of Family Medicine, and has been selecting young scholars since its establishment in 1991.
“I didn’t know Family Medicine existed when I got to Yale,” Rock said during a recent telephone conversation. “I had a distinct vision of what I wanted medicine to be to me, and what I wanted to be to medicine. I kept dreaming out loud to various mentors, and eventually, I found my calling.”
Family Medicine does not have its own department at Yale, which makes the PLF’s selection of Rock even more extraordinary. Even without a formal structure to guide aspiring practitioners, Yale School of Medicine was able to provide Rock with all the resources necessary to excel in his chosen profession.
I had a distinct vision of what I wanted medicine to be to me, and what I wanted to be to medicine. I kept dreaming out loud to various mentors, and eventually, I found my calling.
Robert Rock
“Robert Rock is a caring person and a good man,” said James Perlotto, MD. Perlotto practices Family Medicine, and has served for years as the unofficial faculty mentor and guide for YSM students interested in the field. “When you talk with him, you can hear the passion in his voice… he wants to help vulnerable groups.”
Yale’s fifth such honoree, Rock joins Cheng-Chieh Chuang, MD ’95, Corey Martin, MD ’02, Sean Lucan, MD ’04 and Rachel Summer Claire Friedman, MD ’08 as a Pisacano Scholar.
“Family Medicine is about taking care of the whole person, across the life span rather than focusing on a particular disease or organ system,” Rock said. “It’s a generalist field committed to the needs of the community, and I think it’s going to play a big role in the coming years, as medicine becomes more focused on promoting wellness and population health rather than solely focusing on inpatient sick care.”