2021 Top Doctors People’s Choice Award Winner: Dr. Robin Tassinari, Albany Medical Center
The People’s Choice Awards.
Choosing the right doctor is an important decision. That is why we created CDPHP Top Doctors, a comprehensive list of the Capital Region’s most trusted and top-performing primary care practices. Now in its fifth year, Top Doctors provides you and your loved ones with the information you need to make the most informed decisions about your care.
New this year, CDPHP celebrates local specialty medicine providers with the Top Doctors People’s Choice awards. Nominated by their patients and peers, the People’s Choice award winners have devoted their lives and careers to helping others.
Dr. Robin Tassinari
The word ‘doctor’ comes from the Latin word for ‘teacher.’
Robin Tassinari, MD, has been a member of the psychiatry department at Albany Medical Center for the last five decades. The Connecticut native came to the Capital Region in 1971 and completed his residency in 1975. He immediately began working at Albany Medical Center, where he’s made a lifetime of memories.
“I’ve had so many experiences. Some of them enlightening. Most of them exhilarating.”
In fact, Tassinari was in the room when Drs. Jack Carter and Anthony Tartaglia, founding physicians at CDPHP, pitched the idea of local doctors starting a health insurance company in 1984. “I thought, ‘An insurance company run by doctors? What a great idea. I wonder how they’re
going to pull this off.’”
“I thought, ‘An insurance company run by doctors? What a great idea. I wonder how they’re going to pull this off.’”
As a professor of psychiatry and internal medicine at Albany Medical Center College, some of Tassinari’s greatest memories involve his residents and students. He’s grateful to be able to both treat patients and teach future clinicians, and enjoys keeping in touch with many of his former students and residents.
“The students. That’s why I keep coming in. It’s one of the most enjoyable parts about what I do. In fact, the word ‘doctor’ comes from the Latin word for ‘teacher.’”
Not much has changed for Tassinari in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, but he does worry about the increased demand for mental health care services and the long-term impact on children.
“We have large groups of children who have been isolated for a long period of time. That’s very concerning.”
If there is a bright side to the pandemic, Tassinari says it would be the promise that telemedicine holds for the treatment of mental health and substance use disorders. “Telemedicine has shown great promise, which we were largely unaware of before the pandemic. The no-show rate has improved dramatically. I believe virtual care is here to stay.”
When asked about plans for retirement, the proud father of eight says, “I get asked that all the time. I just keep getting up every day and think to myself, ‘I’m going to work today.’ I’ll keep working as long as I still enjoy it.”
Dr. Robin Tassinari
Congratulations to our Top Doctors – People’s Choice award winners!
John D. Bennett, MD, FACC, FACP, is president and CEO of Capital District Physicians’ Health Plan, Inc. (CDPHP), an award-winning, physician aligned, not-for-profit health plan based in Albany, NY. Bennett has held the position since 2008 after serving more than 10 years as chair, vice chair, and board member for CDPHP.
During his tenure, CDPHP has been ranked among the top-performing health plans in New York and the nation, most recently named #1 in Customer Satisfaction in the 2023 J.D. Power Member Health Plan Study. Under his leadership, CDPHP has also become known as a model employer regionally and nationally and was recently named among the top five Best Companies to Work for in New York by the Society for Human Resource Management, as well as Forbes Best-in-State Employers 2022.
Prior to joining CDPHP, Bennett served as founding member and CEO of Prime Care Physicians, PLLC. During his tenure, he co-led a team of 25 cardiologists and helped grow the practice to a 100-physician multi-specialty group.
Bennett is board certified by the National Board of Medical Examiners and the American Board of Internal Medicine, with subspecialties in internal medicine and cardiology. He earned his medical degree at SUNY-Downstate Medical Center, Brooklyn, and a Bachelor of Science degree at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. Bennett completed an internship and residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular disease at Albany Medical Center. He is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology and the American College of Physicians.
Bennett is currently board chair for the Center for Economic Growth and the Capital Region Chamber, and vice chair for the Palace Theatre. Bennett also serves on the boards of the New York eHealth Collaborative (NYeC), the Alliance of Community Health Plans (ACHP), America’s Health Insurance Plans (AHIP), Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, and Russell Sage Colleges. Bennett is a member of the New York Public Health and Health Planning Council where he helps shape decisions related to New York State's public health and health care delivery system.
Well-known locally and nationally for advancing health care innovation, Bennett was recently named to Crain’s New York Business 2021 Notable in Health Care, as well as the Albany Business Review’s Power 50 list.
2 Responses to “2021 Top Doctors People’s Choice Award Winner: Dr. Robin Tassinari, Albany Medical Center”
William Murray
My primary care physician is located in the CCP building on Jordan Road. I am treated for diabetes and am wondering if any of the list of facilities first noted is the Jordan Road facility. If it is not, should I change my venue to another facility and doctor?
John Bennett
Hi William, I am pleased to tell you that the Jordan Road facility, also known as Community Care Physicians, PC Capital Healthcare Associates, not only made the list but is being recognized as one of the top practices in the region for diabetes care! You are in great hands!
The Daily Dose
John D. Bennett, MD, FACC, FACP
William Murray
My primary care physician is located in the CCP building on Jordan Road. I am treated for diabetes and am wondering if any of the list of facilities first noted is the Jordan Road facility. If it is not, should I change my venue to another facility and doctor?
John Bennett
Hi William, I am pleased to tell you that the Jordan Road facility, also known as Community Care Physicians, PC Capital Healthcare Associates, not only made the list but is being recognized as one of the top practices in the region for diabetes care! You are in great hands!