The Doctor's Biography

Ron Rothenberg, MD, FACEP

Board Certified American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine

As a pioneer in the field of Anti-Aging Medicine, Ron Rothenberg, M.D., (age 61) was among the first group of physicians to be recognized for his expertise in this rapidly emerging field

The 10th M.D. in the world to become fully board certified in by the American Board of Anti-Aging Medicine, Ron Rothenberg, MD founded California HealthSpan Institute in Encinitas, California in 1998 with a commitment to transform our understanding of and finding treatment for aging as a disease. Dr. Rothenberg is dedicated to the belief that the process of physical aging can be slowed, stopped, or even reversed through existing medical and scientific interventions. Challenging traditional medicine’s approach to treating the symptoms of aging, California HealthSpan Institute’s mission is to create a paradigm shift in the way we view medicine and aging: treat the cause.

Dr. Rothenberg has always challenged the medical field’s ability to embrace new information and adapt practices accordingly. Upon graduating from Columbia University, College of Physicians and Surgeons, in 1970, Dr. Rothenberg performed his residency in Emergency Medicine at Los Angeles County-USC Medical Center from 1973-1975. At the time, the specialty of Emergency Medicine (like Anti-Aging Medicine) was not widely recognized by the medical community. In fact, it was dismissed by most as unnecessary. Dr. Rothenberg, however, was passionate about the field, and went on to practice Emergency Medicine at hospitals throughout Southern California. He received academic appointment to the UCSD School of Medicine Clinical Faculty in 1977 and was promoted to full Clinical Professor of Preventive and Family Medicine in 1989. In addition to his work in the field of Anti-Aging medicine, Dr. Rothenberg remains an enthusiastic Attending Physician and Director of Medical Education at Scripps Memorial Hospital in Encinitas, California.

What prompted Ron Rothenberg to expand his view of conventional medicine to embrace the theory that the aging process can be stopped or reversed? As an Emergency Room physician for over 20 years, Dr. Rothenberg saw the most severe complications of the aging process on a daily basis: heart attacks, strokes, cancer, dementia, type II diabetes, osteoporosis and many other disease processes that were a result of the decline in immune system function. Dr. Rothenberg had the insight to realize that all of the illnesses and diseases he was treating were a complication of the same process – aging. Approaching 50, Dr. Rothenberg considered himself to be in excellent health but he began noticing some subtle changes in his own physical appearance. Unlike many men his age, he was surfing daily, working-out, and following what he believed to be a healthy diet. In spite of it all, his waist size continued to grow an inch every year, his energy level decreased, his mental concentration diminished, and his cholesterol levels continued to climb.

Dr. Rothenberg began to explore the causes of the aging process. He studied insulin resistance, the Zone diet, antioxidants, the importance of resistance training as well as aerobic exercise, and most importantly: the theory that we age because our hormones decline. Therefore, balanced bio-identical hormone replacement therapy became yet another area of discovery for Dr. Rothenberg.

After embarking on his personal anti-aging program, the results were amazing. Dr. Rothenberg’s body composition plummeted from 22% body fat to 7% body fat. There were marked improvements in cognitive function, energy, libido, and sense of well-being. As friends, family and colleagues noticed the changes and wanted to experience the same benefits for themselves, his first patients in Anti-Aging Medicine emerged. By creating customized programs for his patients, dramatic positive results followed. Dr. Rothenberg became convinced that Anti-Aging Medicine would be the ultimate in preventative care and the foundation of medicine in the 21st Century. To quote Dr. Rothenberg, “Someday it won’t even be called ‘Anti-Aging Medicine’; it will just be called ‘Medicine’.”

In the next ten years, Dr. Rothenberg foresees endless possibilities in Anti-Aging Medicine. Besides being more widely accepted as a specialty (with physicians’ education increasing annually), technology will announce discoveries and advances that will revolutionize the way we view medicine. California Healthspan Institute will remain committed to charting new pathways to unleash the potential for optimum health and vitality. Dr. Rothenberg points out that our goal is not to accumulate years but to increase our “healthspan” – the years of functioning on a youthful level physically and mentally. Of course, we all have to die sometime but, “We want to stay strong, smart, sexy and salubrious to the very end…then fall apart fast.”

With the health and vitality that he had in his 20’s, Ron Rothenberg continues to enjoy his other passions: his wife, his three children, daily surfing, skiing, mountain biking, and exploring Baja California and underdeveloped countries. Click here and here to see Dr. Rothenberg surfing at a “secret spot” south of the border. In addition to his work with California Healthspan Institute, as a volunteer, Dr. Rothenberg has responded to medical needs in major earthquakes and disasters in Mexico and Latin America over the past 30 years.

Dr. Rothenberg travels extensively to lecture on a variety of topics, which include Anti-Aging, Wilderness, Disaster, and Emergency Medicine. Dr. Rothenberg’s own personal odyssey is a testament to the scientific fact that the anti-aging treatment modalities he prescribes can definitely improve health span for the duration.

Is Dr. Rothenberg younger on this new video than he was 4 years ago?

Watch the UCSD TV interview with Dr. Rothenberg.