Robert Mulliken, MD, Associate Professor of Medicine (Section of Emergency Medicine) passed away on March 8,2022. He was 63 years old.
Dr. Mulliken received his MD from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1984 and completed his internal medicine residency at the University of Illinois in 1987. Dr. Mulliken’s 34-year career at the University of Chicago began as an emergency medicine resident in 1987. After serving as Chief Resident, Dr. Mulliken was appointed to the faculty in 1990 as an assistant professor and was promoted to associate professor in 1998, the rank he held until his death.
Dr. Mulliken’s institutional contributions were many. He served as interim co-chief of the Section of Emergency Medicine for one year (2009-2010), the Medical Director of the Mitchell Emergency Department for almost 15 years, and Medical Director of Occupational Medicine. He served on a multitude of hospital committees, notably serving as Chair of the Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee. Dr. Mulliken also played a pioneering role as an early advocate for integrating advanced practice nursing into emergency care at the University of Chicago. As a site-PI for several NIH and industry-sponsored clinical trials, he published numerous original research manuscripts. Nationally, Dr. Mulliken served as board examiner for the American Board of Emergency Medicine for almost 20 years.
Dr. Mulliken was recognized as an outstanding educator and clinician and was the recipient of many departmental and sectional awards. He was a two-time winner of the Emergency Medicine Residency Teacher of the Year Award, and a three-time recipient of the DOM’s Clinical Productivity, Evaluation and Management Activity Award. Double-boarded in Emergency Medicine and Internal Medicine, Dr. Mulliken specialized in the management of the acute presentations of medical illness and critical care; he was equally comfortable explaining the fine points of renal tubular acidosis, antibiotic choice, the slit-lamp examination, and tricky dermatologic diagnoses.
Dr. Mulliken modeled a clinical approach that prioritized the value of care and the efficiency with which it is delivered. To his residents, he was widely known for a famously sharp teaching style that promoted efficient test ordering and early independence. His residents had an enduring gratitude for the contributions Dr. Mulliken made towards their medical education. It would be difficult to overstate his impact on a generation of emergency medicine residents who viewed Dr. Mulliken as a clinical role model and an available resource for wisdom and advice. To his colleagues, he was regarded as the “doctor’s doctor” – someone who could be trusted to provide an authoritative yet pragmatic assessment of the most complex case. He was also much loved by his patients, who would often ask for him by name.
Dr. Mulliken was an excellent physician, colleague, and friend to many in the Department of Medicine and the BSD, and he will be missed dearly.