Dr. Robert (Rob) Minkes brings over twenty years of healthcare leadership experience. He is passionate about helping physicians, leaders, staff, teams, and organizations align their values with the amazing work performed each day. Dr. Minkes believes in coaching partnerships to empower others to foster new and healthy perspectives. Dr. Minkes most recently served as the System Medical Director for Adult Specialty and Surgical Services at Lee Health in Fort Myers, Florida, and supported leadership development, financial recovery, and alignment to the care continuum and value transformation. Dr. Minkes was responsible for clinical and patient experience initiatives, recruiting and onboarding physician and clinical providers, performance evaluation, and peer support programs..

Dr. Minkes is a board-certified general and pediatric surgeon who previously practiced as a pediatric surgeon for over twenty years in academic and private practice settings. Dr. Minkes joined Lee Health in 2016 as Medical Director of Pediatric Surgical Services and helped open Golisano Children’s Hospital of Southwest Florida. Dr. Minkes previously opened Children’s Medical Center in Plano, Texas, and served as the Medical Director/Chief Clinical Officer and Chief of Pediatric Surgical Services.

Dr. Minkes grew up in Miami, Florida, and received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Miami. He attended Tulane University School of Medicine in New Orleans and earned a Ph.D. in pharmacology in 1991 and his medical degree in 1992. He completed his general and pediatric surgical training at Washington University in St. Louis. He previously served as Chief of Pediatric Surgery for Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center and Professor of Surgery at the University of Texas Southwestern in Dallas. Dr. Minkes received his Master of Science in Leadership and Organizational Development from the University of Texas at Dallas, earned certificates in Transformational Leadership and Executive and Professional Coaching, and is an International Coaching Federation credentialed coach