Adventist heart surgeon comes from a line of trailblazing African Americans
BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — It used to be that heart patients could only get certain services here in Kern County.
More complex or advanced surgeries were often encouraged to travel elsewhere. That is not the case at least at Adventist Health Bakersfield anymore.
Credit the veteran heart surgeon who came on board in January 2023.
Dr. Robert Stewart believes in science – science fiction and science fact. He's a Trekkie – not of the nerdy extreme – but a fan of the iconic television series' ability to foretell aspects of our future. He is a champion of the healing power of our accumulated knowledge – knowledge that has brought new hope to his chosen field, cardiothoracic medicine. Heart surgery.
'I believe in the whole principles of science,' Stewart said during a 20-minute sit-down interview with KGET. 'I believe that you can have a theory, and I believe you can do the research to prove or disprove that theory and then I believe that if you are gonna bring things into our realm, I believe in the clinical trials that you gotta prove, I believe in everything about the science of, not only medicine, but the physical sciences.'
Cardiac and thoracic surgeons specialize in treating diseases affecting the chest, lungs, esophagus and heart. Cardiac surgeons like Stewart treat heart problems, including heart disease, heart transplants and heart failure.
Robert Stewart, 76, graduated from Rush Medical School in Chicago, spent time in Michigan and eventually landed in Fresno.
Two years ago Stewart brought that knowledge from Fresno to Bakersfield's Adventist Health Hospital, becoming the first, and certainly the most accomplished African American cardiothoracic surgeon in the area.
'(For) every cardiac surgery program in Fresno, including the congenital program, I've been instrumental,' he said. 'I've worked at all of them. Actually built them all up. Started some of them. So we knew that, (for) what Bakersfield needed, that I was the best person in the group to come here. I found a community that's very receptive. I found an administration that was more than receptive.'
Since his arrival Adventist's heart unit has increased the number of life saving heart surgeries from 30 in the year prior to his arrival to 130 – a four fold increase.
'(We) started doing more complex cases here than they were doing (in Bakersfield previously) because some of those cases, a lot of those cases, were being referred out (to hospitals in other cities),' Stewart said. 'That's why the volume was so low. So we're doing more complex cases here. We have plans to have the volume for the next couple years, the volume should grow at least 20 to 25 percent per year.'
He has also helped introduce newer techniques and procedures that have cut recovery time for heart surgeries from three to six months to three to six weeks.
The direct descendant of slaves – and a slave master – Stewart was born in Central Mississippi. For most of his childhood he was too young to know he was poor. His family moved to Chicago during one of the nation's great post-war migrations.
'(The issues were) racism and poverty and lack of employment in Mississippi,' he said, 'and there were better opportunities to get on that Illinois Central Railroad and go north.'
He comes from an accomplished family. In 1964, his uncle Robert G. Clark Jr. ran for the Mississippi legislature and defeated the white incumbent to become that state's first Black representative since Reconstruction. He endured insults and ostracism before becoming a force in state politics, and he held the seat for 36 years. Clark's son Bryant W. Clark – Robert Stewart's cousin – succeeded his father.
Now, in this century, Stewart is the accomplished one, and the Central Valley of California is the beneficiary.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
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