Walter Michael Bortz II (March 20, 1930 – August 5, 2023) was an American physician and author who taught medicine at

Stanford University Leland Stanford Junior University, commonly referred to as Stanford University, is a Private university, private research university in Stanford, California, United States. It was founded in 1885 by railroad magnate Leland Stanford (the eighth ...

. He conducted research on aging and promoted the possibility of a 100-year lifespan.

Education

Bortz attended the Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia in 1947. He graduated from

Williams College Williams College is a Private college, private liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts college in Williamstown, Massachusetts, United States. It was established as a men's college in 1793 with funds from the estate of Ephraim ...

with a B.A.

cum laude Latin honors are a system of Latin phrases used in some colleges and universities to indicate the level of distinction with which an academic degree has been earned. The system is primarily used in the United States. It is also used in some Sout ...

in 1951 and graduated from the

University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine The Perelman School of Medicine (commonly known as Penn Med) is the medical school of the University of Pennsylvania, a Private university, private, Ivy League research university located in Philadelphia. Founded in 1765, the Perelman School of M ...

in 1955.

Career

Bortz was co-chairman of the American Medical Association's Task Force on Aging, past President of The American Geriatrics Society and was Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for the

Diabetes Diabetes mellitus, commonly known as diabetes, is a group of common endocrine diseases characterized by sustained high blood sugar levels. Diabetes is due to either the pancreas not producing enough of the hormone insulin, or the cells of th ...

Research and Wellness Foundation. His research focused on the importance of physical exercise during the process of aging. Bortz wrote 150 scientific articles for research publications such as

JAMA ''JAMA'' (''The Journal of the American Medical Association'') is a peer-reviewed medical journal published 48 times a year by the American Medical Association. It publishes original research, reviews, and editorials covering all aspects of b ...

Annals of Internal Medicine ''Annals of Internal Medicine'' is an academic medical journal published by the American College of Physicians (ACP). It is one of the most widely cited and influential specialty medical journals in the world. ''Annals'' publishes content releva ...

, and

Journal of Biological Chemistry The ''Journal of Biological Chemistry'' (''JBC'') is a weekly peer-reviewed scientific journal that was established in 1905., jbc.org Since 1925, it is published by the American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology. It covers research i ...

, as well as articles in The New York Times, Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, The New England Journal of Medicine, American Journal of Public Health, and Town & Country. Bortz wrote eight books including ''We Live Too Short and Die Too Long'', ''Dare to be 100'', ''Living Longer for Dummies'', ''Diabetes Danger'', ''Next Medicine'', and ''Occupy Medicine''. he was working on his ninth, tentatively titled ''Aging is Negotiable''.

Personal life and death

Bortz was the son of Ed Bortz, former president of the American Medical Association. Bortz lived in

Portola Valley, California Portola Valley is an incorporated List of municipalities in California, town in San Mateo County, California, United States. Located on the San Francisco Peninsula in the San Francisco Bay Area, Bay Area, Portola Valley is a small, wealthy com ...

. He had four children and nine grandchildren. A runner for several decades, Bortz ran over 10 miles per week and has finished in over 30 marathons, including the New York and Boston marathons. Bortz died at his Portola Valley home on August 5, 2023, at the age of 93.

Awards

* Paavo Nurmi Award, Runners World Magazine 1986 * University of California, San Francisco - Institute for Health & Aging, Distinguished Leadership Award 1990 * Kenneth Cooper Award for Scientific Contribution to Active Living George Sheehan Award - National Fitness Leader's Association 1996 * American Society on Aging, Presidential Award 2002 * Avenidas Lifetime Achievement Award, Palo Alto, CA 2007

References

External links

Bortz's website

Factsheet on Walter Bortz

Palo Alto Online article

Stanford University podcast with Walter Bortz (April 29, 2011)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bortz, Walter II 1930 births 2023 deaths Williams College alumni Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania alumni American geriatricians People from Portola Valley, California