Humanitarian Award - Dr. Robert Rizzo
Dr. Robert Rizzo was born in Jersey City to Maria Miranda and Attilio Rizzo in 1955. Like many baby boomers of that time, he attended parochial schools and Catholic high school locally.
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Dr. Rizzo earned a B.S. from St. Peter's University, Jersey City. Invluenced by a close family friend who as a doctor educated in Italy, he received the M.D. degree from Universita degli Studi di Napoli in 1986.
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​Dr. Rizzo married his wife, Annamaria Scarpa, in Gioi Cilento in 1987, her native town and his family's original home. While in residency, their daughter, Claudia Rizzo Niland was born in 1989, followed by Christian Attilio Rizzo in 1993.
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Having completed a residency in Internal Medicine, Dr. Robert Rizzo and his late cousin, Dr. Antonio Rizzo, established themselves as primary care doctors in Paterson, NJ. Dr. Rizzo was part of the local community as an attending physician at St. Joseph Hospital and during the growth of the primary care practice, made time to participate in teaching medical students and resident physicians.
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Fluent in Spanish and Italian, Dr. Rizzo thrives in being part of a multiethnic community, taking great pride and satisfaction in providing care for patients of all backgrounds and origins.
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Dr. Rizzo's interests and hobbies include winemaking, photography, and music, both as a listener and performer on guitar and keyboards.
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As president of SOGNA (Societa per Gioiesi di Nord America), he helps organize an annual fundraiser for a scholarship in memory of his late professional partner, Antonio Rizzo, MD.