Michael J. Ditoro, PharmD, stepped into the role of chief executive officer at Desert Regional Medical Center with a clear mandate: Expand access to advanced care while deepening the hospital’s role as the region’s medical anchor.
Ditoro, who joined Desert Regional as chief operating officer in 2018 after a career in Chicago hospitals, now oversees the flagship of the Desert Care Network, which also includes John F. Kennedy Memorial Hospital in Indio and Hi-Desert Medical Center in Joshua Tree. Desert Regional is home to the Coachella Valley’s only Level 1 trauma center, its only comprehensive stroke center, and its highest-level neonatal intensive care unit.
Under his leadership, the hospital is investing millions to modernize operating rooms, imaging suites, and cardiac catheterization labs, while also introducing cutting-edge tools such as the Da Vinci 5 surgical robot. He has made physician recruitment a priority, recently attracting a team of highly regarded cardiac surgeons to the network.
For Ditoro, who has lived in the Coachella Valley with his wife and children for seven years, the work is both professional and personal.
“We take seriously our commitment to bring advanced care close to home,” he says.
