Robert Alan Derzon ’53, Tu’55,

Robert Alan Derzon ’53, Tu’55, died on June 16, 2009. Bob was a national leader in delivering better healthcare. As the first deputy commissioner of New York City Hospitals, he made huge improvements in healthcare delivery to residents. As the first director of Jimmy Carter’s Health Care Financing Administration he was the administrating czar of both Medicare and Medicaid and eventually presided over their integration into a single federal agency. Active on the West Coast as well, he was CEO and director of the University of California at San Francisco, hospitals and clinics and he served on a multitude of healthcare boards, including as chair of DHMC. Among his host of awards are a chair in his name at the NYU Robert F. Wagner Graduate School of Public Service and an honorary doctorate of laws from Tulane University. Bob Derzon was a giant in this class and an immortal in the American healthcare system.