Dr. Eleanor Concepcion “Connie” Mariano is a physician, the first Filipino-American to reach the rank of Rear Admiral in the United States Navy, the first graduate of the Uniformed Services University of Medicine to reach flag officer status and the first woman to be the director of the White House Medical Unit.
Mariano was born at the Sangley Point Naval Base in Cavite City, Philippines in 1955. Two years later, her parents arrived in the United States. Her father served in the navy as a steward and eventually retired with the rank of Master Chief. Mariano was the valedictorian of her Mar Vista High School, Imperial Beach, California, class of 1973. She is a University of California, San Diego Alumna from Revelle College where she graduated with cum laude honors and received her degree in biology at the University of California, San Diego. After her undergraduate studies, Mariano joined the navy in 1977 where she received her medical degree from the Uniformed Services University of Medicine in 1981 Bethesda, Maryland.
Mariano was nominated to the rank of Rear Admiral by President Bill Clinton and eventually served as the White House Physician for President Clinton and President George W. Bush.
In 2001, Dr. Mariano retired from the Navy and left the White House to join the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, Arizona. She was succeeded as White House Physician by Richard Tubb. In 2005, she went on to found the Center for Executive Medicine in Scottsdale, Arizona.