A Thanksgiving Salute: Veterans, Heroes, and Gratitude Thursday, November 28, 2024

Dr. Connie Mariano’s life is THE American success story. Born in the Philippines and raised as the daughter of a Navy enlisted serviceman, she moved frequently, landing in Southern California where she graduated high school Valedictorian, earning her Bachelor’s degree with honors at the University of California at San Diego. In 1981, she received her M.D. from the Uniformed Services University School of Medicine, board-certified in Internal Medicine. In 1992, she became the first military woman in history to be appointed as White House Physician. She was named Director of the White House Medical Unit and chosen by President William Clinton to serve as his personal physician. Dr. Mariano served nine years, attending to three American Presidents. Completing 24 years of active duty service, Dr. Mariano retired as a Rear Admiral – the first Filipino American in history to do so. In 2001, Dr. Mariano was a consultant in the Executive Health Program at the Mayo Clinic. In 2005, she founded the Center for Executive Medicine, a medical concierge practice which provides presidential-quality medical care to CEOs and their families. An expert in presidential health care including the 25th Amendment to the Constitution, Dr. Mariano is a frequent speaker on the topics of care to VIPs, presidential disability, travel medicine, and optimizing quality of care. She is the author of The White House Doctor: My Patients were Presidents, a Memoir.