Doctors Share Healthy Bond

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Talk about being inseparable.

When Narbeh Tovmassian and Garen Derhartunian met in third grade at a Glendale elementary school more than 20 years ago, they became best friends. Little did they realize that they would stick together pretty much from then on. Just recently, after both turned 30, they opened a medical practice together blocks away from where they grew up.

“We both have always seen eye to eye on things,” Tovmassian said of their path toward professional life together.

Even when they were apart, they found ways to get back together. Although Tovmassian decided to leave UC Santa Barbara after two years, leaving Derhartunian behind, they plotted to attend the same medical school on the Caribbean island of Dominica. And even though they were assigned different medical residency programs – Derhartunian in New York and Tovmassian in Las Vegas – they decided to work together afterward. The result: Five months ago, they opened their internal medicine practice in their hometown of Glendale.

“I briefly entertained the idea of becoming a cardiologist and going off on my own, but found that I wanted to be in business with Garen even more,” Tovmassian said.

The two now split their duties 50-50, with each on call for a week at a time, covering both their own and partner’s patients.

Both got married recently, though while Tovmassian served as best man at Derhartunian’s wedding, Derhartunian was not best man at Tovmassian’s wedding.

But that’s about the only time they were out of sync. Otherwise, they’ve been virtually inseparable.

“It is funny how this has all fallen into place this way,” Tovmassian said. “Nothing could separate us for long.”

Business Fit to a Tee

When Gilda Pettit was a Wells Fargo relationship manager several years ago, she realized her male colleagues were benefiting from golf matches with her clients. So she decided to get on the putting green, too.

After classes with the Latina Golfers Association, Pettit learned to play 18 rounds with her commercial loan clients – “serious people who play serious golf.” The effort paid off.

“My relationships improved, so I was able to continue doing business with my clients,” said Pettit, 56, who is now vice president of credit products at Bank of the West in downtown Los Angeles.

Golf has since become her “therapy.”

“I have to focus and forget all my problems. It’s become an essential part of my balance,” she said.

About six years ago, she began mentoring the girls golf team at Roosevelt High School in Boyle Heights, teaching the teens that they deserve a place among male executives on the golf course.

“Typically when you go to a golf tournament, there’s a handful of women, at the most, and they’re not Latina,” said Pettit, who grew up in Guatemala.

Even after all of her training, she recently signed up for more lessons.

“Every three years I take a series of classes to get rid of my bad habits and improve my game,” she said.

Staff reporters Howard Fine and Daina Beth Solomon contributed to this column. Page 3 is compiled by Editor Charles Crumpley. He can be reached at [email protected].

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