Featured Volunteer

Robert Bristow, MD

“Dr. Rob”, as he is called at camp, has been a volunteer physician since 1995 and the Medical Director for Camp AmeriKids since 1999. As an assistant attending at New York Presbyterian, Dr. Bristow brings a high level of expertise and skill to Camp AmeriKids and has been a large part of what has made camp so successful.

At camp Dr. Bristow not only provides primary care to kids and staff, he also works with the nurse practitioner students from Columbia University, guiding them through the valuable on-the-spot training that camp provides.

According to Gabrielle Moss, the camp’s director, Dr. Bristow is largely responsible for the high professional standards of the camp’s medical component.

“Dr. Rob has been an enormous asset in ensuring the success of Camp AmeriKids, by providing excellence in medical care for our campers,” says Moss. “He ensures that our kids have the most professional, caring environment possible when they are away from home, and he is always working to see that our program improves. Through his affiliation with Columbia University, Dr. Bristow has made our partnership with Columbia flourish.”

Dr. Bristow’s volunteerism also extends beyond Camp AmeriKids. Medicine has always been his specialty and he has used this expertise to help those in need. His skills and practical sense have taken him across Latin America from Guatemala to Honduras, Belize, El Salvador and Bolivia. In each location he has assisted the indigenous population by providing necessary medical care as well as instructional sessions to local doctors and clinical staff.

His skill and expertise also help Dr. Bristow in his local work where he has served as a staff physician for Project Renewal, New York City’s largest non-profit organization working with the homeless, through a Mobile Medical Outreach clinic and permanent clinics.

In addition to serving on Camp AmeriKids’ advisory board, Dr. Bristow serves as the co-director of the Disaster Preparedness Committee at New York Presbyterian’s Columbia campus.

It is a privilege to have Dr. Rob with us at Camp AmeriKids. Above all of his professional experience and qualifications, it is his warmth, endless energy and positivity that brighten the week for campers and staff. We are truly lucky to have him!