From Boston to battalion aid surgeon: A physician’s journey of service
By Maggie Munoz, Platte Valley Hospital Communications Manager
At just 14 years old, Robert Massa, MD, Internal Medicine, knew he wanted to be a doctor. The call came early, born from the personal tragedy of seeing his 7th-grade best friend die from a brain tumor, as well as a transformative hospital experience from his own appendicitis, that turned fear into inspiration. With unwavering determination, he pursued pre-med at Williams College. He was accepted into medical school at Tufts University. But the cost of medical school was steep, and interest rates were daunting. That’s when the U.S. Army offered a lifeline: a scholarship in exchange for service.
What began as a financial decision quickly evolved into a life-changing adventure.
Massa took his oath and became a commissioned officer while still a medical student. Upon graduation, he was thrust into active duty as a captain in the U.S. Army Medical Corps, trading the streets of Boston for the military base in San Antonio, Texas. The transition was jarring, but he adapted quickly with learning to salute, shoot, and serve in uniform.
His residency at Brooke Army Medical Center prepared him for the rigors of military medicine, where versatility was key. Internists in the Army weren’t just outpatient primary care doctors, they were ICU specialists, critical care providers and battlefield medics. While excited to see the world, Massa’s first assignment was his first choice of Korea, but it was fortuitously changed to Fort Carson, Colo., a post he hadn’t expected but quickly grew to love. It was there he was assigned and trained to command as a battalion aid surgeon for a mechanized infantry unit.
Then came his deployment to Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, during Operation Sea Signal, which was a humanitarian mission responding to the Cuban Haitian refugee crisis. Massa provided medical care to thousands of displaced individuals and the troops supporting them. For his service, he was recognized with the Humanitarian Service Medal and the Joint Meritorious Unit Award.
After six years of active duty and promotion to the rank of major, Massa transitioned to civilian life, unsure of where he belonged. He became a traveling locum physician, chasing seasons and experiences from New England autumns to Utah ski slopes. Eventually, a serendipitous resume he faxed from the previous Lutheran Hospital campus while he was a hospitalist led him to a community hospital in Brighton, where he found his professional home at Platte Valley Hospital.
Massa is Platte Valley Hospital’s first physician who was awarded the Planetree Physician Champion Award recognizing patient-centered care by using a PHD: personalizing, humanizing and demystifying healthcare experiences. His office is adorned with patients’ notes of gratitude and patient survey comments.
He shares, “I keep these notes here because it reminds me why I became a doctor.” One patient writes, “You have no idea how comforting it is to have a doctor who reviews your file before entering the exam room. I’m sure it’s hard to deal with patients every day, but you still manage to be kind-hearted and have the patience and ability to listen, to be reassuring and compassionate.” Another longtime patient shares, “a special thanks to a man who makes this world a better place.”
Now, more than two decades later, Massa reflects on his military service with pride and humility. “People don’t realize the sacrifices veterans make,” he says. “It’s disruptive, demanding and often dangerous. But it’s also deeply meaningful.”
In honor of Veterans Day earlier this month, Massa urges us to honor the commitment and sacrifices made by veterans and their families and keep present-day active-duty military and their families in our thoughts. “Hug a veteran,” he says. “Be grateful. Their sacrifices make our everyday civilian lives possible.”
Massa is a primary care physician specializing in internal medicine at Intermountain Health’s Reunion Clinic.