Title: Physician and Consultant
Company: Mayo Clinic
Location: Scottsdale, Arizona, United States
Robert Orford, Physician and Consultant at the Mayo Clinic, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Doctors for dedication, achievements, and leadership in Occupational Medicine.
Dr. Orford credits his perseverance for his current success, and recently received a 2017 Award for Leadership and Service in Organized Medicine from the Arizona Medical Association. He was inspired by his grandmother, who provided medical care in the 1920s and 1930s even though she was not a physician and working with limited resources. She also became a patient of the Mayo Clinic herself in the ‘30s, a connection that helped him reach out to the clinic later in life. Though Dr. Orford wanted to study plant-based science as a member of a McGill University exclusive program, he was directed into medicine. Because of his father, a pilot of the Royal Canadian Air Force, he became interested in aerospace medicine, and was ultimately guided by his mentor, Dr. Earl Carter, into the broader field of occupational medicine.
After earning a Bachelor of Science from McGill University in Montreal, Dr. Orford earned a Doctor of Medicine and Master of Surgery in 1971 and trained with St. Joseph’s Hospital as well as the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine at the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. He further earned a Master of Science in medicine there in 1975, and served a residency in preventive medicine at the Preventive Medicine University of Washington. In 1976, he earned a Master of Public Health from the Environmental Health University of Washington, and in 1988 he finally achieved his original goal, becoming a special clinical fellow in aerospace and preventive medicine at the Mayo Graduate School of Medicine. Since then, he has held many notable roles, including director of medical services for the government of Alberta in Edmonton, Canada, later serving as deputy minister of community occupational health from 1985 to 1988. He has held the role of consultant in general internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic since 1996.
Dr. Orford is most proud of his family, which includes his wife, Dale Laura Stuart, and their children, Carolyn Tiffany, Andrew Craig, and Loren Brent. He also has two grandchildren. Dr. Orford continues to serve the medical community as a contributor to medical journals, and is currently an appointed delegate of the American Medical Association and the American College of Occupational and Environmental Health, as well as a board member of the International Commission of Occupational Health. He has been recognized with numerous awards, fellowships, and distinctions, including a 2003 President’s Citation and a 1975 Best Resident Presentation Award from the Aerospace Medical Association.
Contact Dr. Orford