Meet Dr. Richard Rodriguez — The 2023 College of Science Commencement Speaker

When Dr. Richard Rodriguez (’70, biology) showed up for his first day at Stanford Medical School he had doubts. “I looked around the room at other student’s name tags and saw that they came from schools like Harvard, Yale, and Princeton. My heart sank. I wondered if I’d gotten in over my head,” Rodriguez recalls. That feeling stayed with him until midterms. His grades convinced him he belonged there. “It was clear that Cal Poly Pomona had given me a great foundation. I had all the science education I needed to succeed.”

Since he was nine-years old he’d wanted to be a doctor. He knew it’d be difficult, so he kept his dream to himself. It may have seemed out of reach for a young man from a working-class family in Ontario, California to become a doctor. His father, who was a machinist at Lockheed Aircraft told him, “Don’t be like me, be like the engineers I work with, go to college.”

Rodriguez recalls meeting with his high school counselor who confirmed his grades were good enough to get into a state college. He asked which one was the closest and they told him Cal Poly Pomona. His decision to go to CPP, though based on convenience, was what set him up to succeed, and inspired in him, a life-long love of learning.

It wasn’t all smooth sailing though; Rodriguez recalls being called to the College of Science Dean’s office. “I was told I was doing okay, but that my grades were all over the place. Sometimes I’d get an A, sometimes a C. He told me, ‘Maybe you should take some time off to grow up.’” He was told he’d need to have his department chair sign a petition if he wanted to continue.

Rodriguez got permission to continue and took the Dean’s comments to heart. He started studying consistently and became a serious student. “I was fascinated by what I was learning. I realized how much I had missed by not studying. Some really incredible people worked very hard to figure all this stuff out. I appreciated my professors and what they were able to teach me.”

When it was time for him to graduate from CPP, he shared his dream of medical school with his professors, who encouraged him to take the MCAT. Still unsure of himself, that encouragement meant the world to him.

Not long after graduating CPP he married his childhood sweetheart Adele. They raised three children and have six grandchildren, one of them, Isabel Rodriguez, is following in her grandfather’s footsteps, majoring in biology at CPP.

At Stanford, Rodriguez remembers taking classes from the likes of Nobel laureate Linus Pauling. He was in awe and was grateful that CPP had given him a such great foundation. His love of learning continues to this day and he still loves to read, study, and learn about medicine.

After medical school, Rodriguez, who is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine, went to work for Kaiser Permanente. After several years he was asked to assist with administrative work and rose to the position of Medical Director for Clinical Services in Southern California. He found the work of supporting other physicians rewarding. He was later appointed President and CEO of Permanente Medical Group in Atlanta Georgia, where in the short span of a year he was able to turn around the failing organization.

Rodriguez has held several high-ranking positions, that include VP of Medical Affairs for Molina Healthcare, Senior VP Chief Medical Officer of TMC Healthcare, the largest hospital in Arizona, and Chief Medical Officer of Carson Tahoe Health. He recently retired from consulting work.

Over the years he’s given back to CPP, supporting scholarships, and special educational opportunities in the College of Science. He’s a member of the Dean’s Circle which serves as an advisory board to the college and is a vital link to industry and the community. “I think it’s important to give because of what CPP gave me. It’s a great gift. I’ll never be able to give back as much as it gave me,” Rodriguez said.

On May 23 the College of Science will celebrate the Class of 2023 Commencement. Dr. Richard Rodriguez will be the speaker. It won’t be the first time Rodriguez spoke at a commencement. He gave a speech at his own graduation from Stanford, an honor he recalls with pride. Drawing from his own experience, his message will be one of triumph over doubt and the confidence that CPP prepares students to compete at the highest level with anyone in the U.S.