Alum Spotlight: Robert Wrobleski Carries on a Family Legacy

By Emily Nunez

As the son of two nurse anesthetists, Robert Wrobleski (MSN ’17) had an “inkling” he’d end up in the medical field but wasn’t sure he’d follow in his parents’ footsteps. After a period of exploration, though, all signs pointed to a future in anesthesia.

“As I started looking into different options in medicine and dentistry and chiropractic, I got led back into the anesthesia field,” he says. “I just loved the operating room and the environment.”

Initially interested in business, Wrobleski is an accounting and business administration graduate who went on to earn another bachelor’s degree in nursing through an accelerated program. He then enrolled in the University of Pittsburgh's graduate-level nurse anesthesia program, citing its strong national rankings and diverse clinical experiences.

“Pitt’s program is unique because it is affiliated with such a strong health system and world-renowned specialties in cardiac, obstetrics and pediatrics,” he says. “Most of the programs around the country have to scramble to get those experiences for students.”

After earning his master’s degree, he spent three years working as a nurse anesthetist at AHN Allegheny General Hospital before joining BPW Medical Associates, the full-service anesthesia company his parents founded.

“It started at the first independent surgery center in Pennsylvania and grew to three other centers prior to me joining,” Wrobleski says. “Once I joined, I took on a leadership role on the financial, management and contracting side and helped to grow our business.”

BPW Medical Associates employs around 50 anesthesia providers—primarily nurse anesthetists—and deploys them to medical facilities around Southwestern Pennsylvania. Over the years, BPW has become the exclusive supplier of anesthesia services to two hospitals, six surgery centers and a variety of office-based practices.

Wrobleski is now the company’s vice president but continues to practice the craft that attracted him to nursing in the first place.

“I’m in the operating room five days a week,” he says, “and after I’m done, I handle the business side.”

Wrobleski explained that BPW is filling a major gap in the health care industry, especially as anesthesiologists and certified registered nurse anesthetists (CRNAs) retire without younger workers available to take their places. His company has also seen a higher demand for anesthesia beyond operating rooms.

“There are projections of a massive shortage of anesthesia providers in the next decade or so,” Wrobleski says. “There has also been a bigger need for anesthesia services in areas that typically did not require them in the past, such as MRI scans, CT scans and interventional radiology. All those areas are now vying for the same limited pool of anesthesia resources.”

Wrobleski recalls a global experience at Pitt that helped to prepare him for such scenarios. During a trip to Cambodia that was led by Professor Richard Henker, Wrobleski saw how medical professionals overcame barriers to provide pediatric anesthesia.

“It showed that there are a lot of different ways to provide anesthesia with limited resources and monitoring equipment,” he says. “You have to be efficient with the drugs and supplies you’re using, and you have to be willing to go with the flow.”

Wrobleski says this lesson has come in handy while confronting shortages and supply chain issues, all while striving to offer anesthesia services in a safe and cost-effective manner. While he has loved working for a regional business, he said the possibilities are limitless for aspiring nurse anesthetists.

“In anesthesia, there are options to work for large health systems or small to medium groups like ours,” he says. “Through the experience offered at the University of Pittsburgh, you can be adequately trained to do either.”

This profile is part of a longer feature that appeared in the summer 2026 edition of Pitt Nurse magazine. Read more stories of alumni accomplishments in “The Leadership Issue.”