Dr. Robert Lugliani, long time resident of Palos Verdes Estates, was honored by St. Mary Medical Center, Long Beach, with the first-ever Spirit of St. Mary Award on Friday, December 9 at the Hyatt Regency in that same city.
Carolyn Caldwell, St. Mary Medical Center CEO/President, made the presentation in front of an audience of more than 200 people, many of them fellow physicians.
The attendees rose to their feet in a sustained ovation for Dr. Lugliani, who recently retired after 56 years of service with St. Mary Medical Center. In her tribute, Caldwell cited Dr. Lugliani for his dedication to the wellbeing of his patients. “The mission of St. Mary is to make known the healing presence of God in the world by improving the health of the people we serve, especially the vulnerable. Dr. Robert Lugliani, tonight we are presenting you with The Spirit of St. Mary award: in gratitude for your devotion to your patients; for your service to St. Mary; for your generosity as a donor; for embodying the highest ideals of your calling as a physician; and for so wonderfully fulfilling our mission.”
Dr. Tanya Stewart, one of Dr. Lugliani’s seven children offered a tribute to her father as a person, a devoted father, and loving husband. In a voice filled with emotion, she stated that her career as a physician started as a young girl going on rounds with her father at St. Mary, seeing first-hand that medicine was not just a science but also an art and, above all, an act of love.
Along with Dr. Stewart, Dr. Lugliani was accompanied by several of his children, grandchildren, and his beloved wife of more than five decades, Delores. Speaking for the medical staff of St. Mary, Dr. Greg Vanley, former Chief of Staff, referred to Dr. Lugliani as a role model for younger physicians and a great teacher. Dr Vanley offered that among his peers, Dr. Lugliani has been lovingly described as an “Energizer Bunny,” up at the crack of dawn and often at the hospital until the wee hours of the night tending to patients, assisting colleagues, training young physicians and settling complex administrative issues that affect health care today.
Born Roberto Lugliani, Dr. Lugliani is a native of Tuscany in Italy. As a little boy, he was wounded by shrapnel near the end of World War II. The tender care he received from medics in the U.S. Army inspired him to become a physician. Lugliani is a graduate of Tufts School of Medicine with a specialty in pulmonology. More than a decade ago, he was honored by St. Mary when his fellow physicians made financial gifts and the hospital named the G.I. Lab in his honor. The St. Mary Medical Center Foundation Board of Trustees has previously presented him with a Life Achievement Award and named him a Trustee Emeritus.
Dignity St. Mary will be observing its centennial year in 2023. Dignity Health hospitals in Southern California are part of CommonSpirit Health, a nonprofit Catholic health system dedicated to advancing health for all people.
