| Walter Bortz | |
 Walter Bortz in December 2018, aged 88. | |
| Birth: | 20 March 1930 Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA |
| Age: | 94 years, 303 days |
| Country: |  USA
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Walter Michael Bortz II (20 March 1930 - 5 August 2023) was an American physician and author who teached medicine at Stanford University. He was one of America's leading scientific experts on aging, and promotes the possibility of a 100-year lifespan.
Biography[]
Early Life and Education[]
Walter Bortz was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States on 20 March 1930. He is the son of Ed Bortz, former president of the American Medical Association.
Dr. Bortz attended the Episcopal Academy of Philadelphia in 1947. He graduated from Williams College with a B.A., cum laude in 1951 and graduated from the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine in 1955.
He met his wife, Ruth Anne Bortz, during a summer school at Harvard College. They married in 1953, and had four children and nine grandchildren.
Career[]
Dr. Bortz is a former co-chairman of the American Medical Association’s Task Force on Aging, past President of The American Geriatrics Society and is Chairman of the Medical Advisory Board for the Diabetes Research and Wellness Foundation.
His research focuses on the importance of physical exercise during the process of aging. Dr. Bortz has written 150 scientific articles for research publications such as JAMA, Annals of Internal Medicine, and Journal of Biological Chemistry, 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.
He has written six books--We Live Too Short and Die Too Long, Dare to be 100, Living Longer for Dummies, Diabetes Danger, Next Medicine, and Occupy Medicine.
Later Life[]
A runner for several decades, Bortz runs over 10 miles per week and has finished in over 30 marathons, including the New York and Boston marathons. His wife died on 14 July 2015 at age 84.
Walter Bortz died in his home in Portola Valley, California, United States on 5 August 2023, at the age of 93 years, 135 days.
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
External links[]
- Dr. Bortz's website
- Factsheet on Walter Bortz (Archived)
- Walter Bortz Podcast Stanford University, 28 April 2011
References[]
- Dr. Walter Bortz II Palo Alto Online, 16 May 2007
- "A Call to Reorient Healthcare", Journal of the American Medical Association, 23/30 March 2011
- Ruth Anne Bortz, long-distance runner and Portola Valley resident, dies Almanac Online, 17 July 2015
- Longtime aging expert, now 88, heeds his own advice Palo Alto Online, 9 December 2018
- "Dr. Walter Bortz II passes away at age 93 InMenlo, by Linda Hubbard on 15 August 2023