Paul R Torrens

December 18, 1934 - December 22, 2022

Paul R Torrens, MD, MPH, beloved husband, father, teacher and mentor, died at his home in Newport Beach, California on December 22, 2022 He was 88.

Paul was born in San Francisco in 1934 to James Sullivan Torrens and Beatrice Rossi Torrens, the descendants of Irish, Italian and French immigrants. He revered his father, whom he called “Pops,” for his quiet dignity, humility and kindness-characteristics he prized and emulated himself.

Paul graduated early from St. Ignatius High School (1951) and from the University of San Francisco (1954) before receiving his MD from Georgetown University (1958), then continued his education with a residency at Bellevue Hospital (NYC). He proudly served in the Navy after which he received a Master of Public Health from Harvard University (1962).

From 1962 to 1969 Paul served as Chief of the Community Health Studies Unit in the Department of Medicine and Assistant Hospital Director for Community Services at St. Luke’s Hospital in New York City. While there the Mid-Westside Neighborhood Health Program was developed (1966), now the flourishing William F Ryan Community Health Network. At St. Luke’s Paul also led development of one of the country’s first methadone clinics.

From 1969 to 1972, Paul was the director of the Maryknoll Hospital in Hong Cong, a 250 bed hospital serving the Wong Tai Sin area of Kowloon.

In 1972, Paul joined the faculty of the UCLA School of Public Health as Professor of Health Policy and Management, where he taught for over 40 years. His Mother, a native San Franciscan, was not entirely pleased, remarking, “But Paul, that’s in Los Angeles! Within two years of joining the UCLA faculty, he earned the School of Public Health Alumni Association Teaching Award. Paul also co-edited Introduction to Health Services, first published in 1980 and now in its eighth edition.

From1995 to 2005, he was the founding Director of the Executive MPH Program at UCLA, and in 2002, Paul’s 30th faculty anniversary at the UCLA School of Public Health, was marked by the establishment of the Paul R Torrens Endowment for Executive Education in Healthcare Management.

Throughout his career Paul consulted with a wide variety of governmental organizations in the U.S and in 20 foreign countries. He served on the governing boards or oversight committees of three national multi-hospital systems two foundations, the largest VA hospital in the country, and three California-based health insurance plans, including Blue Shield of California.

From 1989 to 1991 he was the founding Director of the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program in the Office of the President of the University of California. From 1993-1995, he served as Chair if the Institute of Medicine’s Committee on the Prevention of Nicotine addiction in Children and Youth, which produced the landmark report, Growing Up Tobacco Free.

Paul founded a professional community forum at UCLA to advance ideas pertaining to healthcare management and policy. In 2016 the forum was renamed the Paul R Torrens Health Forum. And, in 2019 the Paul R Torrens Endowed Chair in Healthcare Management was established at the UCLA Fielding School of Public Health. The chair honors Paul and supports the teaching and research activities of a faculty member with management expertise in perpetuity.

Paul received numerous other honors and awards, including an Award of Merit from the UCLA Health Policy and Management Alumni Association and an Award of Merit from the Harvard School of Public Health. Paul also received Lifetime Achievement awards from the Partners in Care Foundation, the Healthcare Executives of Southern California, as well as from the City of Los Angeles.

Paul is survived by his devoted wife, Jacquelyn; his children Jim, Chris, John, and Nat; their partners Christine, Alison, Susie, and Wendy; his grandchildren Jack, Joe, Griffin, Hazel and Zephyr; Jacque’s son David and his partner Gwen; his former wife, Celeste, and his brother James Sullivan Torrens sj. We do indeed miss him dearly.

At Paul’s request, a private family memorial will take place in the spring. If desired, contributions in Paul’s memory and honor may be made to:

Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles, 4650 Sunset Blvd., Los Angeles, CA 90027, or: Point Reyes National Seashore Association, 1 Bear Valley Road, Bldg. 70, Point Reyes Station, CA 94956.