When Dr. Martinez was 18 years old, his father underwent open-heart surgery. Rafael was so impressed by meeting the surgeon who had successfully treated his father that he was inspired to become a physician himself. During his medical studies, Rafael was fascinated by internal medicine and its requirements for broad and in-depth knowledge. Today, he is a board-certified pulmonologist with more than 20 years of experience as a physician, and that passion for knowledge and advanced skills continue to grow.
Dr. Martinez attended medical school in Spain and completed his residency and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine in Puerto Rico. He learned about internal medicine and pulmonary medicine through an influential mentor, and over the years he broadened his experience to include medical research, pulmonary hypertension, interventional pulmonology, sleep medicine, critical care, and health care administration and management. Dr. Martinez’ special interests include clinical research, early lung cancer detection, interventional bronchology, and interstitial lung disease.
Dr. Martinez’ education sparked his compassionate desire to put himself in his patients’ shoes, understand their suffering, find the root cause of the problem, and treat both cause and symptoms. As soon as he finished his training in 2001, Dr. Martinez began practicing medicine in the Tampa Bay area. He speaks both English and Spanish, welcoming a diverse range of patients to his practice. In 2006, Dr. Martinez co-founded Pulmonary & Sleep of Tampa Bay with his colleague and friend Dr. Dragos Zanchi. The practice has grown to include multiple locations in Tampa and neighboring cities.
Through his practice at Pulmonary & Sleep of Tampa Bay, Dr. Martinez is affiliated with several hospitals in the greater Tampa Bay area, where he serves in various leadership positions.