Physician of the Year Calls Corona del Mar Home

Corona del Mar Resident Michael Ritter has received many awards and accolades throughout his medical career, however his most recent achievement is one for the books.

Ritter is the associate medical director of emergency services at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo. Last week Ritter was named the 2011 Physician of the Year by the Orange County Medical Association. Ritter said he is honored to have been nominated for the award and is thankful for the support he has received from his colleagues at Mission Hospital and St. Joseph Health System.

“I look forward to continuing to contribute to Mission and the medical community by exemplifying excellence in advanced care, and providing the best care for our of our patients,” Ritter said.

Ritter's accomplishments include the Codman Award, which was in recognition of his help in developing the hospital’s rapid response team, a program that trains and empowers rapid response nurses to treat critically ill or injured patients and reduce patient mortality rates. 

“Dr. Ritter is a highly valued member of the emergency services team,” said Robert Winokur, the hospital's chairman of emergency medicine. “Since the implementation of the rapid response team, we have reduced the number of patient mortality incidents by more than 50 percent. His desire to teach the staff is unsurpassed.”

Ritter received his medical degree from the UC Irvine, where he currently teaches emergency medicine. He lives in Corona del Mar with his wife, Melissa, and 11-year-old son, Max. When he is not helping save lives, Ritter enjoys working on projects at his at-home workshop and talking to local students about the dangers of alcohol and drug abuse.