Georgia State University College of Law alumnus Robert Rohr (J.D. ’90) recently joined the Sun Life Family Health Center as the director of human resources and corporate compliance. Serving southern Arizona, the Federally Qualified Health Center includes 13 clinics in 9 communities. Relying on his background in health law and human resources, Rohr is redesigning the corporate compliance program to encourage employee participation and engagement.
“Sun Life practices an integrated approach to community-based health care. There is a high level of teamwork in the organization and departments do not work in silos,” said Rohr. “It is exciting to work on the continuing development of a value-based model of health care delivery.”
Rohr has served a variety of different communities throughout his career. Rohr, who also has a master’s degree in international affairs, joined the U.S. Army JAG Corps after law school and was stationed in Panama. While there, he volunteered for an assignment in health care law and labor and employment law. He has been combining the two ever since.
He later spent twelve years at Grady Health System, an urban safety net hospital in Atlanta, as the director of employee relations and a member of the medical ethics committee.
Rohr relocated to New Mexico where he led the human resource and compliance programs first for two rural tribal health care clinics and then for the largest continuing care retirement community in the state. Taking another turn in his career, Rohr applied his expertise to build a new human resources program for the State of New Mexico Department of Corrections’ health care operations, visiting prison clinics in many rural communities. He was also appointed as a panelist on the New Mexico Medical Review Commission for medical malpractice hearings.
Rohr returned to the Atlanta area briefly but realized that urban life was no longer for him. He recently accepted the position with Sun Life and is excited to be back in the rural southwest.
While the communities Rohr has served may be diverse, health law has provided a common thread. “My law school experience could be best described as ‘generalist,’” said Rohr. “This allowed me to work on the breadth of issues that affect health care operations, such as contract law, tax, torts, labor and employment, real estate, mental health law, administrative law and corporations.”
To students, Rohr recommends health care compliance certification as an advantage. He also suggests participation on a nonprofit board as a learning experience and opportunity to develop leadership skills.
But Rohr also encourages students to find a passion unrelated to work to maintain personal wellness. “In my case, I joined the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary and have had a lot of fun with it,” he said. “Last year, I participated in a water parachute drop qualification exercise with the U.S. Army Rangers.” While in Georgia last year, Rohr was elected vice flotilla commander for the Central Georgia Lakes, and his flotilla received several awards and recognitions.
Written by Stacie Kershner