The Board of Directors and all medical and staff at Mammoth Hospital are shocked and deeply saddened by the sudden and unexpected death of our colleague and friend, Dr. Tomi Bortolazzo.

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SONY DSC

“Dr. B” served as the sole urologist for the Eastern Sierra for the past 10 years. She was a respected member of the Northern Inyo Hospital and Mammoth Hospital Medical Staffs and served the past two years as the Chief of Staff at Mammoth Hospital.

She grew up frequently visiting the Mammoth Lakes area and made the transition here in 2005 with her husband, Ron, and two sons Randy and Russel. In addition to being a gifted physician and surgeon, wife, and mother, she loved the mountains and was an avid outdoor enthusiast and accomplished athlete who enjoyed skiing, hiking, riding dirt bikes, and flying.

Dr. Bortolazzo did her undergraduate training at University of California San Diego and was the captain of the women’s soccer team her senior year. She obtained her medical degree at Chicago Medical School and completed her residency training in Urology at Loma Linda University Medical Center.

She practiced for 11 years at San Antonio Community Hospital where she rose to be the first female Chief of Staff overseeing the activity of more than 500 physicians.

As one of relatively few female physicians in the specialty of Urology, Dr. Bortolazzo learned to stand her ground early on and earned her reputation as a staunch advocate for her patients demanding excellence of herself and all those around her.

She was very committed to providing quality care and responded to the needs of patients at both NIH and Mammoth at all hours of the day and night, on weekends and holidays, and frequently made house calls to check up on her elderly patients. The loss of her knowledge, skill, and compassion to our medical community leaves a great void.

Our hearts go out to her family, many friends and colleagues, and the thousands of patients who thought of her not only as their physician but also their friend.

Gary Myers, CEO

Mammoth Hospital

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