Battlefield to bedside
Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center physician Leo Rodriquez applies his military training to emergency room operations
by Chelsea Sektnan
Leo Rodriguez, an emergency physician at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance, took an unconventional route to his medical career. He was born in Queens, New York, in 1973 to Uruguayan immigrants. After his father died of colon cancer, his mother, Sylvia, worked multiple jobs to support Rodriguez and his two siblings. School was a challenge for Rodriguez, he graduated from high school with a 1.4 GPA.
“I didn’t know how to study. I didn’t have discipline,” Rodriguez said. “It felt like my options were getting into trouble and finding a way out.”
His mother, who remarried to Steven Becker, recalled her frustration during Rodriguez’s high school years.
“By the time he graduated high school, we didn’t know what to do with him. So we sent him to a military prep school in Newport, Rhode Island,” Becker said. “He was working at a pizza place and treating school like a social event. But he had a personality everyone loved.”
That magnetic personality shone through even as a child. At age 5, Rodriguez was a Heinz Pickle model in New York, charming photographers and talent scouts.
Dr. Leo Rodriguez is featured in the National Geographic TV series Inside Combat Rescue. Submitted photo
In 1992, Rodriguez found his path through the Navy.
“He said he was going to Miami to interview with the Navy,” Becker said. “We thought it would give him some guidance and maybe help him find a trade. Then he called and said, ‘I was accepted into the SEAL program.’ I almost fell off my chair.”
Although Rodriguez did not proceed with SEAL training, Becker saw the Navy as a blessing.
“He started getting a lot of guidance,” she said. “He was smart enough to take advantage of everything that was put in front of him.”
Rodriguez earned his nursing degree from USC. To support himself through school, he worked as an ER tech at Providence Little Company of Mary Medical Center in Torrance. During a night shift he met Dr. William Mallon, an attending physician and residency director at LA County-USC Medical Center, and a professor of emergency medicine.
Mallon became a mentor, helping Rodriguez navigate research projects and advocating for him during the medical school application process. Mallon’s belief in Rodriguez’s abilities led to his acceptance into USC’s medical program, where Rodriguez completed his degree and residency in emergency medicine.
Dr. Leo Rodriguez assists a child while appearing in the Netflix documentary Code Black. Submitted photo
“Eventually, he got into medical school and was a great resident,” Mallon said. “During residency, he was still in the military, and the surgeons just assumed he was just exchanging school for service, not that he already had a full military career.”
Rodriguez’s military career included deployments to the Persian Gulf and Afghanistan, where his dedication earned him numerous decorations, including multiple Navy Commendation Medals. He rose to the ranks of Fleet Marine Force Officer and Advanced Naval Parachutist, and received 16 medals and awards. Many of his Providence Little Company of Mary colleagues had no idea about the extent of his service—until the day he finished his residency.
“When he finished his residency, he showed up in his dress uniform with a breastplate full of medals,” Mallon said. “He was the highest-ranking military guy at the hospital. Everyone was shocked—they realized they had to salute him. He was just a resident, and they didn’t know he had all that service… He’s a great guy—always humble, always friendly. He never wore his accomplishments on his sleeve.”
During a deployment to Kandahar, Afghanistan, Rodriguez served as the medical director of the casualty receiving area at the Role 3 combat hospital. Brian Biggie, a retired Navy commander and emergency trauma nurse, worked alongside Rodriguez during that time.
“Rodriguez was the real deal,” Biggie said. “He was the most knowledgeable and competent emergency trauma physician I had ever met,” Biggie said. “His experience working his way through the Navy, both as an enlisted sailor and an officer, in both medical spaces and operationally, taught him to be an exceptional leader.”
Dr. Leo Rodriguez prepares for combat deployment at Camp Pendleton in 2016. Submitted photo
During their deployment, Rodriguez oversaw the treatment of over 1,400 combat wounded casualties during one of the most active phases of the war.
“Leo never stalled out,” Biggie said. “Even though he was at what I’d consider the pinnacle of clinical practice, he kept working hard, spending time with other physicians, surgeons, anesthesiologists, and radiologists to perfect his craft.”
Biggie said Rodriguez’s ability to connect with everyone—from junior enlisted personnel to high-ranking officers—set him apart.
“He was able to talk to privates just starting out, to colonels and generals,” Biggie said. “He held people to a high standard but always treated them with respect and dignity.”
Rodriguez’s military experiences shaped his approach to civilian medicine, Biggie said, allowing him to lead medical teams effectively in high-pressure situations.
Dr. Leo Rodriguez in full dress uniform, with his son Matteo, at his sister’s wedding in 2017. Submitted photo
“Leo’s ability to gather a team and create better outcomes for patients comes directly from his military service,” Biggie said.
After completing his military commitment in 2017, Rodriguez returned to Little Company of Mary.
He now lives in Hermosa Beach with his wife and two children.
Rodriguez’s wife, Liz Rodriguez, is a Physician Assistant at Torrance Memorial Urgent Car.
“He goes the extra length for his patients,” Liz said. “He makes sure people have follow-ups, that they’re taken care of—he’s always going above and beyond.”
“There’s always someone reaching out to him for help,” she said. “Our good friends called him at 3 a.m. once because their son had abdominal pain. He called the hospital, spoke to the doctor, and made sure they were taken care of. He does that for everyone—family, friends, friends of friends. Leo treats people the way you’d want your own son or daughter to be treated.”
Mallon echoed that sentiment.
“He’s been military, he’s been a grunt, he’s been an ER tech, he’s been an enlisted man,” Mallon said. “He just has a bunch of life experiences that, unfortunately for medicine, are often absent.”
“My career began at Little Company, and it’s going to end at Little Company,” Rodriguez said. “Being part of this independent group, caring for the community, it’s exactly where I want to be.” ER