A L U M N I P R O F I L E S Class of 1974 Celebrates Its 40th Anniversary conscious throughout the delivery,” says Dr. Rabin, “and in the recovery room, they were ready to hold and enjoy their babies.” Dr. Rabin teaches gynecologic surgery at USC Medical Center and has been in private practice in Beverly Hills since 1978. Now, his only new OB patients are women he delivered as babies. “I love my OB/GYN patients,” he says. “I’ve been seeing them and the next generation for years.” Robert Simpson, MD ’74 COURTESY OF ROBERT SIMPSON, MD ’74 D r. Simpson arrived at Rutgers Medical School via an unconventional route, and, to this day, his career path has taken unexpected turns. A native of Bergen County, he taught high school mathematics and coached football after graduating from Lafayette College, then completed his first two years of medical school at the Universidad de Guadalajara. “We worked very hard for admission into American medical schools,” says Dr. Simpson. “Rutgers welcomed us with open arms, and we truly appreciated the caliber of teaching and the resources of the medical school.” On his medicine rotation at Muhlenberg Hospital, he met one of his most influential mentors, Ellis Singer, MD. “I adopted his approach to patients,” says Dr. Simpson. “For example, he always took a patient’s blood pressure. It may not be critical to the examination, but it has an extremely calming effect on the patient.” Dr. Simpson’s initial interest in general surgery evolved into OB/GYN, and he completed his residency at Harbor General Hospital/UCLA. “OB/GYN was perfect for my personality: like being a family practitioner and doing surgery,” he says. In 1981, Dr. Simpson and his wife, Janalyn, purchased the 128-acre cattle ranch in Paso Robles, California, where they have lived ever since. The area’s first OB/GYN specialist, he maintained a solo practice, delivering up to 35 babies a month and performing the full range of gynecologic surgeries. Meanwhile, the Simpsons discovered they were sitting on soil with world-class vineyard potential. From a small family operation, they developed Whalebone Vineyard, a producer of award-winning wines. In 1993, Dr. Simpson suffered a serious hand injury and decided to sell his 6,000-patient practice. He now enjoys overseeing the vineyard, the winery, and the ongoing cattle operation at the ranch. M 58 Robert Wood Johnson I MEDICINE