Curtis D. Robinson

HARTFORD – Curtis D. Robinson, co-founder of the Curtis D. Robinson Men’s Health Institute and a St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center board member, has received the Scroll of Merit Award from the National Medical Association (NMA).

The Scroll of Merit Award is the highest honor conferred by the NMA and is given in recognition of unique exceptional achievement in medicine, science, education or public service.

The award was presented at the association's annual convention and scientific assembly in New Orleans on July 30.

"Curtis Robinson truly deserves to be recognized in a national forum," said Christopher Dadlez, president and CEO of St. Francis. "His tireless work as co-founder of the Curtis D. Robinson Men’s Health Institute at St. Francis has put the spotlight on the health care risks and disparities facing African-American men regarding prostate cancer. More importantly, the institute is helping save lives."

This is the second national award Mr. Robinson has received in recent weeks. On June 28, he was honored with the Rosa Parks Lifetime Achievement Award from Curtis Dean, godson of Rosa Parks, at a town hall meeting on health disparities at the Bushnell Center for Performing Arts. The award is bestowed on distinguished individuals who have personified the leadership legacy of Mrs. Parks through acts of courage, innovation and empowerment of underserved communities in the United States.

Mr. Robinson is the former president of the Hartford Lions Club. His numerous charitable causes also include the Urban League of Greater Hartford, Doc Hurley Scholarship Fund, NAACP, Sickle Cell Anemia Association, Ace Mentoring Program of Greater Hartford, Gen Yeshiva School, Greater Hartford Academy of Arts and many more.

He also has assisted people in need of medical and hospital care, donated buses to churches and schools and sponsored a shelter for homeless children.

Mr. Robinson serves on the board of regents at the University of Hartford. He is also on the board of directors of the Connecticut Hospital Association, the membership of which includes all 28 hospitals in Connecticut.

Mr. Robinson is the co-founder and chairman of the Curtis D. Robinson Men’s Health Institute at St. Francis Hospital. The institute is an innovative partnership between St. Francis and Hartford-area religious and community organizations that aims to improve health in the community.

Specifically, it addresses a racial disparity in men’s health, particularly African-American men, by providing education, early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of men at risk for prostate cancer. Services, including surgery, are provided free to uninsured men.

Founded in 2010, the institute has reached thousands of men and women with its message, specifically providing prostate education to 897 men, conducting 779 prostate-specific antigen tests and 559 digital rectal examinations. This outreach has resulted in 110 follow-up appointments, 32 biopsies and treatment for 26 men diagnosed with prostate cancer.