Skip to main content

Robert ‘Bob’ Strauss, MD, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine expert, has been honored with this year’s H. Fleming Fuller Award. Strauss received the award on Sept. 16 at a meeting of the UNC Health Care Board of Directors.


Robert ‘Bob’ Strauss, MD, professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and maternal-fetal medicine expert, has been honored with this year’s H. Fleming Fuller Award. Strauss received the award on Sept. 16 at a meeting of the UNC Health Care Board of Directors.

image2
Dr. Bob Strauss is presented the Fuller Award by Dr. Tom Ivester
image3
Dr. Bob Strauss with Catherine Harvey, granddaughter of Dr. H. Fleming Fuller

The Fuller Award, which has been given annually since 1986, is meant as a permanent memorial to Kinston physician H. Fleming Fuller, and awarded to the physician who best embodies Fuller’s lifelong commitment to patient care, teaching and community.

A national leader in obstetrics and gynecology, Fuller practiced in Kinston, NC, for nearly 50 years and is credited with helping to bring women’s health care to the forefront of American medicine. A founding member of the Board of Directors of North Carolina Memorial Hospital, Dr. Fuller served on the Board from 1971 until his death. He was also a founder and past president of the North Carolina Cancer Society.

At the award ceremony, Strauss was joined by several guests, including Catherine Harvey, Dr. Fuller’s granddaughter.

In his remarks, Strauss reflected on Fuller’s legacy, the importance of family, and lessons learned from his many mentors, including Dr. Robert Cefalo.

Strauss, Cefalo-Bowes Distinguished Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology and medical director for labor and delivery at N.C. Women’s Hospital, has been on faculty with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology since finishing his fellowship in maternal-fetal medicine in the department in 1998. He is a dedicated mentor to residents and fellows and has received multiple teaching awards.

In introducing Strauss, Tom Ivester, MD, MPH, Chief Medical Officer, Vice President of Medical Affairs for UNC Hospitals, and a colleague of Strauss’ in maternal-fetal medicine, recalled the great bonds that he has seen Strauss form with patients and colleagues over the years. One of Strauss’ patients, Kara Simmons, Associate Vice Chancellor and Senior University Counsel at UNC, attended the ceremony.

“Dr. Strauss is an amazing clinician. What makes him exceptional is his compassion. He goes above and beyond in the care of his patients. One testament to this fact is that he is the Obstetrician that the OBGYN faculty/fellows/residents go to when they, themselves, are pregnant. We recognize that he’s the ideal provider who has the combination of excellent fund of knowledge, amazing technical skills and exceptional compassion,” read one of Strauss’ award nomination letters.

Strauss has made long-lasting contributions to many families through his role in creating two private rooms for families experiencing perinatal loss and other difficult medical situations. The first is the Gabriella Marie Strauss room, a private room near the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for families to grieve, named in honor of the Strauss’ daughter who passed away in infancy. In 2018 he played pivotal role in facilitating the creation of Jane’s Room, a private room near the Labor and Delivery unit of N.C. Women’s Hospital. It is a private space for families to process pregnancy and infant loss in a separate space from families receiving joyous news about recent births.