Robert H. Curry, a ‘79 Pitt HPM alumnus and former Executive in Residence for the Department of Health Policy and Management, died November 27 at 70.
Curry was CEO of Emanate Health, a West Covina, California-based hospital system serving over a million people in the San Gabriel Valley, for 14 years before retiring to Phoenix, Arizona in April 2022.
Curry took over as CEO of Emanate Health when it was struggling after a series of mergers and acquisitions, and his leadership turned the organization into one of the fastest growing health systems in California.
He was awarded 2021 Health System Executive of the Year by the Los Angeles Business Journal for his leadership during the pandemic and advocacy to address health care disparities. He was recognized by the same publication as one of the 500 most influential community and business leaders reshaping Los Angeles County in 2019.
Before joining Emanate, then called Citrus Valley Health Partners, he was CEO of O’Connor Hospital in San Jose, California and Thunderbird Medical Center in Phoenix. Earlier in his career Curry held executive positions with hospital systems in Pittsburgh and Youngstown, Ohio.
He was a Fellow in the American College of Health Care Executives (ACHE) and served on the board of directors for the California Hospital Association, the American Hospital Association, and the Arizona Hospital Association
Curry, who held a Bachelor of Arts in Economics and a Master of Public Health from Pitt, helped guide students in Health Policy and Management as the department’s Executive in Residence from 2019 to 2020.
Throughout his career, Rob was involved in numerous service organizations and community boards including: the American Heart Association, United Way, YMCA and Rotary International.
In his leisure time, Curry enjoyed traveling, music, sports, reading and spending time with his family.
He is survived by his spouse Lori, his twin brother Ron, his sons Michael and Matthew Curry, and his stepsons Andrew, Alexander and Austin Lopez.
The family will hold private services to honor Curry’s life and asks that contributions in his memory be made to Emanate Health in Covina, California, the University of Pittsburgh School of Public Health Department of Health Policy and Management or the Arizona Humane Society.
-Mike Friend