Walter Bortz II


Walter Michael Bortz II is an American physician and author who teaches medicine at Stanford University. He conducts research on aging and promotes the possibility of a 100-year lifespan.

Education

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.

Career

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. 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 eight books including We Live Too Short and Die Too Long, Dare to be 100, Living Longer for Dummies, Diabetes Danger, Next Medicine, and Occupy Medicine. he was working on his ninth, tentatively titled Aging is Negotiable.

Personal life

Bortz is the son of Ed Bortz, former president of the American Medical Association. Bortz lives in Portola Valley, California. He has four children and nine grandchildren.
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.

Awards