Robert Danoff, DO, MS, FAAFP, FACOFP, exemplifies these ideals and has been named the 2019 AOF Physician of the Year.
Dr. Danoff is a respected educator and researcher who leads by example and inspires others to follow him. His greatest strengths are “constructing professional relationships and comradery between multidisciplinary groups and members of different specialties, building an atmosphere of career development and a holistic understanding in providing the finest possible medical care,” says Maricel Dela Cruz DO, MPH, who was a chief resident while training under Dr. Danoff.
Currently, Dr. Danoff serves as Clinical Professor at both the Sidney Kimmel Medical College of Thomas Jefferson University and the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM). He is also Program Director at two family medicine residency programs at Jefferson Health in addition to his work as a practicing family physician and Medical Director at Horizon Mercy Health Services in Trenton, New Jersey.
AOF Board President Martin S. Levine, DO, says that “Dr. Danoff has done so much to honor the profession, empower his patients and to educate the community. He is a true advocate for advancing programs and services that promote Osteopathic medicine and enhance patient-centered care.”
As a practicing family physician, Dr. Danoff prioritizes excellent patient care and engages students in this patient-first, Osteopathic brand of health care delivery. Patients, and those who train under him, all comment on his compassion for the patient, attentiveness, consideration, and ability to communicate and inform with consideration and understanding.
Complimenting his deep commitment to patient care, educating and mentoring medical students and residents is one of his utmost priorities. Seng Yue Joshua Foong, DO, MS, family medicine chief resident at Jefferson Health Northeast, is quoted as saying, “Dr. Danoff’s genuine interest in the betterment of others is an outstanding testament to the virtues of Osteopathic medicine practiced from the heart. He has become an exemplary role model of an Osteopathic physician.”
Dr. Danoff earned his DO degree from the University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine (UNECOM). Due to his strength as an educator, he is regularly called upon as a speaker and guest lecturer at universities and medical conferences across the country.
As a vocal proponent of the profession’s role in health care, he works to raise the awareness of Osteopathic medicine in the media as a medical correspondent for local TV and radio stations and a writer for several websites. He is a medical journalist for MSN.com Health and Fitness, a contributing writer for DiscoveryHealth.com and he writes a health column for the Bucks County Courier Times and the Doylestown Intelligencer.
Despite these demands on his time, he honors his profession by volunteering on local and national committees. He currently serves on the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education’s Family Medicine Milestone Committee, the Association of Family Medicine Residency Directors’ Membership Committee, the AOA Bureau of Communications, and is chair of the Intensive Review Update for the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians, among many other roles.
Dr. Danoff gives back to his community through leadership and service in several volunteer organizations. He is medical director for Back On My Feet – Helping the Homeless “One Step at a Time,” a non-profit organization assisting the homeless; a board member of the Northeast YMCA; and honorary board member of Gilda's Club, a non-profit organization that assists families of individuals affected with cancer.
This impressive record of service has earned him countless awards, including the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians’ Distinguished Service Award (2016), the National Educator of the Year Award, Joseph Stella, DO, Award (2011), the National Mentor of the Year from the American Osteopathic Association (2012), and the Top Doctor award by Philadelphia Magazine in 2018.
