dentist educator physician researcher author
Robert John Cabay was born into the family of John A. and Irene M. Cabay. Raised in Illinois, he developed early interests in science, healthcare, and public service. His upbringing encouraged broad intellectual curiosity and a commitment to excellence, traits that later shaped his dual career in dentistry and medicine.
Cabay earned his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Loyola University Chicago in 1986 and soon developed an interest in public health, completing a Master of Public Health at the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1991. Seeking broader interdisciplinary training, he received a Bachelor of Science in General Studies from Northwestern University in 1995. In 2004 he completed his Doctor of Medicine degree at the University of Illinois at Chicago, where he was a Children of Veterans Scholar from 2000 to 2004.
His postgraduate medical education included fellowship training in cytopathology at Loyola University Medical Center (2008–2009), a Donald West King Fellowship in oral and maxillofacial pathology at the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (2007), and advanced training in surgical pathology and head and neck pathology at the University of Illinois at Chicago and Massachusetts General Hospital.
Cabay began his professional life practicing as a general dentist at Charles J. Zasso, DDS, FAGD and Associates, Ltd. in Schaumburg, Illinois, where he worked from 1986 to 2009. After earning his medical degree, he pursued residency training in pathology at the University of Illinois College of Medicine (2004–2008), followed by specialized fellowship appointments in oral and maxillofacial pathology, cytopathology, surgical pathology, and head and neck pathology.
In 2010 he joined the faculty of the University of Illinois at Chicago, serving as Assistant Professor of Clinical Pathology at the College of Medicine and Assistant Professor in the Department of Oral Medicine and Diagnostic Sciences at the College of Dentistry. In addition to his academic responsibilities, he has worked as a dental consultant since 1999.
Fellow: American Society Clinical Pathology, College American Pathologists, American Institute for Healthcare Quality, Academy General Dentistry. Member: American Dental Association, American Medical Association, United States and Canada Academy Pathology, Chicago Dental Society, Illinois State Dental Society, Chicago Medical Society, Illinois State Medical Society, Alpha Sigma Nu.
Robert John Cabay married Gina Grace Angela Bill on August 8, 1993.
