Derek Robinson

Vice President and Chief Medical Officer, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois

Dr. Derek J. Robinson serves as vice president and chief medical officer at Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Illinois (BCBSIL), where he is responsible for clinical leadership, care management operations, and the Institute for Physician Diversity®. Previously, Dr. Robinson was vice president at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC) where he established the Enterprise Quality and Accreditation department and was responsible for clinical quality performance, health plan accreditation, and related operations across multiple states. He established the HCSC Health Equity Steering Committee and served as chairman from 2015 to 2021.

Dr. Robinson is an active member of the community and serves on the Medicaid Advisory Committee for the State of Illinois. He is a member of the Board of Directors at the Cook County Health Foundation, vice-chairman of the Board of Trustees at Xavier University of Louisiana, and a founding member of the Black Directors Health Equity Agenda. Dr. Robinson is a member of the Economic Club of Chicago, serves on the Office of Diversity and Inclusion advisory committee at the ACGME, and co-chairs the leadership accountability subcommittee of the AAMC-NMA Action Collaborative on Black Men in Medicine. He also volunteers as an official with Illinois Swimming and is a nationally certified judge with USA Swimming.

Dr. Robinson is the recipient of numerous awards including Crain’s Chicago Business 40 Under 40, 40 Game Changers Under 40 – Ariel Investments, and the 2019 Leadership in Healthcare Award by National Medical Fellowships, Inc. Savoy Magazine recognized Dr. Robinson in its list of 2020 Most Influential Black Executives in Corporate America. In 2022, Dr. Robinson was recognized by the Rogue Media Group, LLC with the One to Watch award. He is the author of Improbable MD: From the Bayou to the Boardroom.

Dr. Robinson is clinical associate professor of emergency medicine at the University of Illinois Chicago and holds degrees from Xavier University of Louisiana, Howard University College of Medicine, and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business. An active emergency medicine physician, he is board certified by the American Board of Emergency Medicine.