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Children's National Health System Dedicates Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Professorships in Otolaryngology

Washington, DC – Children’s National Health System installed Diego Preciado, MD, as the inaugural Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Professor in Pediatric Otolaryngology. The professorship, funded through the generosity of Joseph E. Robert, Jr. estate, will allow Dr. Preciado to dedicate his time to expanding research to increase the precision and safety of surgical practices that restores hearing in otherwise deaf children.

Joseph E. Robert, Jr., philanthropist, business leader, and advocate for children and families, lost his battle to cancer in December 2011. He left a legacy that has transformed the way Children’s National care for kids. His visionary leadership helped create the Joseph E. Robert, Jr. Center for Surgical Care and the Sheikh Zayed Institute for Pediatric Surgical Innovation, which is improving outcomes and changing lives not only in Washington, but around the world.

“I can’t think of a more appropriate way to honor Joe than by sharing some of the ways his vision and leadership are making real changes for children and families,” said Kurt D. Newman, President and CEO of Children’s National. “Even in his absence, he continues to make an impact, especially with the first Joseph E. Robert, Jr., Professor.”

Dr. Preciado is a pediatric otolaryngologist, surgeon, and systems biologist who has been with Children’s National for more than eight years. His clinical practice focuses on airway reconstruction and childhood hearing loss, and he is the lead surgeon and director of one of our differentiating programs in pediatric cochlear implants—helping children with extreme hearing loss to hear.

“I am humbled to be entrusted with Joe Robert’s extraordinary legacy through this professorship,” said Dr. Preciado. “It is clear to me that Joe’s family shares his deep commitment to children’s health and the hospital and am energized about what they and Joe’s estate are giving me the ability to achieve in the years ahead.”

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