Health care executive, professor Max Botticelli dead at 80

A physician who long taught at the University of Hawaii’s John A. Burns School of Medicine and led a health insurance firm in Hawaii for more than 15 years has died.

Dr. Max G. Botticelli died unexpectedly early Thursday morning after experiencing sudden chest pains at his condominium on Punahou Street. He was 80.

His daughter Ann said Botticelli seemed fine at a family dinner at a restaurant the night before.

“We are stunned and devastated because his death was unexpected,” she said. 

Botticelli was a professor in the school’s Department of Medicine from 1986 to 1995, including three years as chairman.

He became the chief executive officer of the health insurer University Health Alliance in 1996 and led it to become among the major health insurance plans in the state, with 45,000 members. He retired in May as CEO and in September as chairman.

“He was the father of the company,” said Dr. George McPheeters, UHA’s chief medical officer.