Dr. Martin Brotman
June 26, 1939 - December 20, 2020
A resident of Tiburon and San Francisco for 53 years, Martin passed away suddenly, yet peacefully, at age 81.
Dr. Martin Brotman is survived by his loving wife of 60 years, Farron. Father of Ilana (Neal) Tandowsky, the late Stuart (Elizabeth) Brotman, Brenley (Kevin) Morris; and grandfather of Blake, Olivia and Meredith Tandowsky; Abigail Brotman; Ashley and Joshua Morris. Brother of the late Shirley Blye and brother-in-law of Mel Stern. Uncle, cousin, friend and mentor to many.
Born in Winnipeg, Canada to Helen and Israel Brotman, Martin met the love of his life, Farron Stern, at the age of 14. They married on August 14, 1960 and welcomed daughter Ilana in 1963, son Stuart in 1966, and daughter Brenley in 1968. They fell in love with the Bay Area when visiting San Francisco for the first time during their honeymoon. In 1967 they moved to San Francisco, where Martin established his gastroenterology and internal medicine practice. Soon after, they made their family home in Tiburon until they moved to San Francisco in 1995. In 2015, they returned to Tiburon and split their time between Tiburon and a winter residence in Delray Beach, Florida.
Martin received BSc (Medicine) and MD (Honors) degrees from the University of Manitoba, Canada where he graduated number one in his class; MS (Medicine and Physiology) degree from the University of Minnesota; and DSc (Honorary) degree from the University of Manitoba. He received his Post Graduate Training in Internal Medicine and Gastroenterology at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
In 1986, Dr. Brotman led the development of the Pan Med Medical Office Building at 2100 Webster Street, attracting top physicians in San Francisco due to its close access to Pacific Presbyterian Hospital (later known as California Pacific Medical Center). While still maintaining a full medical practice, he was involved in or chaired every important committee task force of the hospital, including Chief of Gastroenterology and Chairman of the Department of Medicine.
Martin was respected nationwide for his leadership in patient care, medical education, health care administration, philanthropy and community leadership. In 1995, Martin was appointed President and CEO of CPMC to turn around CPMC’s serious financial difficulties and improve employee morale. Within a few years, Martin’s strong management and leadership skills revitalized the institution, and CPMC became the bellwether of the Sutter chain. In 2009, Martin became the first CEO of Sutter’s West Bay Region (then comprising of eight hospitals and two multispecialty medical groups) and in 2012, Sutter Health’s first Senior Vice President for Education, Research and Philanthropy until his semiretirement in 2015. Martin was the driving force behind the creation of Sutter’s new 1,ooo,ooo square foot Van Ness Campus hospital and adjacent Medical building, both of which opened in 2019. In 2002, Martin was elected President of the American Gastroenterology Association (AGA) and in 2008, awarded the distinguished Julius Friedenwald Medal, the highest honor bestowed upon an AGA member. In 2011, he was awarded the Humanitarian Award by the San Francisco NAACP.
A longtime member of Congregation Rodef Sholom in San Rafael, Martin served as Past President. At the time of his death, Martin was Co-Chair of the synagogue’s $26 Million Capital Campaign to rebuild and modernize its facility.
Family came first for Martin. He was a man of ethics, morality, honesty and integrity. He was dedicated to any project or task regardless of how large or small; whether it was opening up a new hospital or finding the right bike for one of his grandkids. His greatest joy and achievements was the time he spent with his family and six grandkids. He planned and executed every detail of their family trips every summer and holiday break; 14 plane tickets, “table for 14” reservations, Spain, Italy, London, Hawaii, Mexico, San Diego, etc. He dreamt of having a boat his entire childhood and fulfilled his dream by naming his first boat BOMAJA (the first letter of each grandchild’s name).
May Martin Brotman’s bright light remain in our hearts and may his memory be a blessing.
Private burial due to Covid-19 restrictions.
Donations may be made in Dr. Brotman’s memory to: Congregation Rodef Sholom-Capital Campaign,170 N. San Pedro Road, San Rafael, CA 94903; URJ Camp NewmanStuart Brotman Fund, 711 Grand Avenue, Suite 280, San Rafael, CA 94901, or https://campnewman.org/donate/; CPMC: Dr. Martin Brotman Medical Education Fund at CPMC Foundation, 2015 Steiner Street, San Francisco, CA 94115, (415) 600-4400 or https://www.sutterhealth.org/ cpmc/giving.