Robert Walter Gilbert, 50

Robert Walter Gilbert, M.D., passed away June 20, 2025, at the age of 50. Born in Huntsville, Ala., on Dec. 18, 1974, he was the son of the late Richard Walter Gilbert, Jr. and Inge Kuberg Zanaty. He is survived by his mother, his brother, Richard Walter Gilbert III (Blanca), his nephews, Dillon Walter Gilbert, Griffin Randall Gilbert and Tristan Keller Gilbert, his stepmother, Deborah June Gilbert, and his stepbrother, Jeremy Lyn Romberger.

Robert spent his formative years in Huntsville, where he attended Virgil I. Grissom High School. A gifted athlete and devoted outdoorsman, he played football and soccer, achieved a Black Belt in the Korean martial art of Tang Soo Do and participated in the Boy Scouts of America. He enjoyed hiking, camping, backpacking and canoeing. His passion for the outdoors continued throughout his life, including snow skiing, snowboarding, fly fishing and kayaking.

Awarded an academic scholarship, Robert earned a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Millsaps College in Jackson, Miss., in 1997, where he was also a Pi Kappa Alpha. He went on to receive his Doctor of Medicine in 2004 from the University of Mississippi School of Medicine in Jackson, Miss.

Following medical school, he completed his Internship and Neurology Residency at the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics in Iowa City, where he served as Co-Chief Resident and completed a Fellowship in Clinical Neurophysiology. He later pursued a second Fellowship in Vascular Neurology at the University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, Tenn.

Dr. Gilbert was board-certified by both the American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology and the American Board of Electrodiagnostic Medicine. He held faculty appointments as an Assistant Professor of Neurology at the University of Tennessee, where he served as Site Director for the UT Neurology Residency Program at Regional One Health. He also worked in private and hospital-based practices in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho; Memphis, Tenn.; and Winchester, Tenn., where he served as Chief of Staff at Southern Tennessee Regional Health System and practiced at Southern Tennessee Neurology.

Most recently, Dr. Gilbert served as an Assistant Professor of Neurology at The Vanderbilt Clinic, Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tenn., where he specialized in Neurophysiology and vascular neurology, treating complex neurological disorders and contributing to teaching and mentoring in an academic setting.

A recognized authority in his field, Dr. Gilbert was a published researcher and contributed to clinical trials advancing stroke treatment, epilepsy management and neurovascular medicine. His work was presented at major conferences and published in respected medical journals such as the Journal of Cardiovascular Disease. He was frequently called upon as an expert and authority to testify in complex neurological depositions and trials.

Dr. Gilbert’s medical career was marked by dedication, expertise, and compassion. He left an indelible impact on patients, peers and trainees, earning respect as both a clinician and educator.

In addition to his professional accomplishments, Robert maintained a close relationship with his three nephews, as well as being the godfather of Tristan. Robert was a passionate photographer, lover of art and dog dad to his beloved black lab, Sage, and silver lab, Oakley. He found joy and peace in nature and brought warmth and humor to all who knew him.

Visitation will be from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. Saturday, June 28, 2025, at Laughlin Service Funeral Home, 2320 Bob Wallace Avenue SW, Huntsville, AL 35805, with the funeral service following in the chapel. Burial will be in Maple Hill Cemetery, 202 Maple Hill Drive, Huntsville, AL 35801, beside his grandparents, Willi Karl and Hilde Kuklak Kuberg.