Rosemarie Corinne Rohatgi

Dr. Rosemarie Corinne (Calderon) Rohatgi (Rose to her friends) died peacefully on June 6, 2025 after a three-year bout with Stage IV colon cancer. She was born in Delaware on December 28, 1971 to parents Leona and Bart Calderon, who emigrated to the US in hopes of building a prosperous life for themselves and their children. To that end, the family traversed the US to the tiny town of Roseburg, Oregon as Leona pursued a position as a psychiatrist.

Education, particularly advanced education, was important to the family. Rose attended college at the University of Oregon, earned her DMD from Oregon Health Sciences School of Dentistry, and completed a fellowship in sleep medicine at UCLA. Rose practiced in general dentistry for many years, building a successful practice in the Portland area but found the profession to be monotonous. In 2007, she took a break, selling her practice and moving down to Solana Beach to do some soul searching and find her next calling. Rose was always drawn to helping others and service truly unmet clinical needs. She ultimately found her passion in craniofacial sleep medicine – the treatment of Obstructive Sleep Apnea (OSA) through oral appliance therapy. The field was in its infancy in 2012 and Rose emerged as one of its pioneers as she built the first practice in the US to exclusively treat OSA. Many clinicians warned against opening this type of practice, telling her she would never be successful. She was initially shunned and even ostracized, but she remained dogged in her pursuit. She found enormous success and soon many were trying to replicate her practice. Her expertise was highly sought and she was a true authority in her field. She published many papers and was nominated to serve on several formative boards. Rose always prided herself in being triple board certified, and even after her retirement, she maintained an active leadership role in the American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine. To this day, she still receives emails and letters from her patients (and their spouses), thanking her for impact she had on their lives by helping them find restorative sleep, often after decades of sleep apnea.

Rose exuded enthusiasm for life and lived each day to its fullest. She had exacting standards and high expectations, especially for herself. She was true to her word, devout in her faith, and fiercely loyal to her beloved family. She married Sameer Rohatgi in 2010 and gave birth to their son, Kaiden, in 2011 and daughter, Evelyn, in 2014. Rose was immensely proud of her husband and children. Her other passion was exploring the world. She always acknowledged her good fortune to have traveled the globe and pass that enthusiasm on to her children. She and Sameer honeymooned in Africa where they witnessed the great migration of wildlife across the Serengeti and relaxed on the “Spice Island” of Zanzibar. The family has been fortunate to visit Dubai, Maldives, Europe, Singapore, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico. Having cancer did not deter Rose from adventure. Though her disease was very advanced, she traveled to Ireland mere weeks before passing. Rose truly loved living life and refused to let her illness prevent her from taking a trip, celebrating a friend, attending a party, watching her son golf, or seeing her daughter perform on stage.

Somehow, Rose also found room for public service. As early as elementary school, she was compelled to take leadership roles, be it class president, legislative positions with multiple dental societies and governing bodies, or as an elected official. She served on the Rancho Santa Fe School District board of trustees after being elected in 2020 and fulfilled her entire four year term even as her health failed. She was resolute in her commitment to the students. She tirelessly fought to improve the school district, even while being assailed by misguided parents and other board members. Rose was not afraid of conflict when fighting for students’ interests. She was so fiercely determined in improving Rowe that she attended meetings even during her chemotherapy infusions.