Robert was born and bred near Cologne and went to University in Aachen. Graduating in 1993 he got the opportunity to complete his specialist training at the Medical Department of the Luisenhospital, a large internal Medicine Department in a teaching hospital in Aachen. During specialist training he developed an interest in Diabetes and Gastroenterology. He finished training in General Medicine in 2000. In the same year he got his Medical Doctorate awarded (University of Aachen).

In 2001 he moved to Cologne where he started working as a staff specialist in General Internal Medicine.

In 2004 Robert relocated to North East Victoria where he set up the practice and became involved in the establishment of the first DAFNE education program for Type 1 Diabetics in rural Australia, the HARP Project and last but not least the Wangaratta Cardiology and Respiratory Centre.