VOLUNTEER SPOTLIGHT – Dr. Robert Lohr is using his childhood passion to benefit doctors all over the country
Early in his youth, Robert Lohr, M.D., was fascinated by medicine. He loved the idea of becoming a physician and never strayed from that goal. Later, during his third-year rotations Dr. Lohr found internal medicine. The broad scope offered plenty of variety and served as a steppingstone to diverse subspecialties. Plus, it afforded the opportunity to establish relationships with patients.
Much like his early passion for medicine, once he found internal medicine he never looked back. And now, as a MAVEN Project volunteer, he’s putting all of that passion to use for health care providers in frontline clinics.
Dr. Lohr has been working with MAVEN Project since 2019, on everything from econsults and mentoring to continuing medical education.
“It’s so rewarding to hear from mentees and those I’m consulting with,” he noted. “Plus, MAVEN Project makes it so easy to be a volunteer with the software and other tools to do our work well.”
Providers in half a dozen clinics have benefitted from his wealth of experience. He’s mentored from both a clinical and leadership perspective, which his unique qualifications make him perfect for. During his time with Mayo Clinic Health System as Medical Director, Dr. Lohr led 800 physicians in practices surrounding Mayo Rochester.
“I really enjoy helping people who are assuming new leadership roles,” Dr. Lohr added. “I want to help them deal with pitfalls they encounter and help them negotiate various audiences to move projects forward.”
But he didn’t start there. Dr. Lohr graduated from Northwestern University in Chicago and completed his residency in internal medicine at Hennepin County Medical Center, Minneapolis. After serving as Chief Resident, time in private practice and service at the Park Nicollet Clinic in Minneapolis, Lohr landed at Mayo Clinic. During his time at Mayo, he served as Section Head for the Regional Practice and was a member of the Mayo Clinical Practice Committee, eventually becoming Vice Chair.
After retiring in 2014, Dr. Lohr continued working in a supplemental capacity. He was also elected Governor of the Minnesota Chapter of the American College of Physicians (ACP), as well as the Board of Regents of the College where he served as Treasurer.
And his work with MAVEN Project isn’t limited to econsults and mentoring. Dr. Lohr has also led continuing medical education sessions on perioperative medicine, covering everything from patient evaluation and managing patients with diabetes to addressing cardiopulmonary challenges.
Beyond his volunteering with MAVEN Project, Dr. Lohr has led five Mayo teams to provide care and medical education in Haiti.
“I’d never done anything like this before, but when Mayo was approached for assistance, I wanted to help,” Lohr shared. “Our team was able to help their providers expand care, despite limited resources. It was a very good experience.”
Dr. Lohr also volunteers regularly at the Salvation Army Clinics in Rochester. And when he’s not volunteering, he can often be found trying new recipes at home, and spending time with his family.
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