Cathy Carrubba, a legend and role model of Tampa Bay( and Florida ) EMS history.
Wonderful impactful collaborative memories 
You left your significant mark which others will now carry on.
RIP
Charlie Sand and Diane Fojt.

Dr Catherine Carrubba. I just got home from attending your services for the last two days. Jerry, Amanda and Jody brought Harmony and Pease to this devastating situation.  I have known you since 1991 (35 years), we had lunch approximately a month ago and I am so glad we did.  You may not be here with us physically, but you brought a spiritual sense of comfort. Not only am I blessed to have had the opportunity to work with you, but we also had the opportunity to develop a real and true long lasting relationship as a friend.  I will never forget you and will remember your words of wisdom over the years. together, we helped save the Aeromed program that you and LouAnn Morriss had built back in 1989. you were truly successful in its growth along with so many other organizations and projects that you took on such as Tampa Fire rescue. I could never keep track of all the things that you were involved in, but clearly you were a recognized physician, not only statewide but nationally. Today Aeromed did a flyover for your service. I chose not to participate because I’ve scheduled too many flyovers in my day. Instead, I took time to sit and look at your photos of the years which brought me great peace and comfort. Thank you, my friend for being there and I look forward to you looking down on me and continuing to point me in the right direction.. I will miss you greatly. I want you to know that I love you as a person. I will continue to communicate and check in with Jerry, Jody and Amanda. A dedicated friend John Scott.

PS as you know, I’m not a very religious person, but I will be speaking to you in my own way as I have the many others that I have lost over the years.

I came to TGH from NYC. I immediately learned that this ER was more intense than the NYC where I trained.  Dr Carrubba helped me feel comfortable with asking questions when I felt clueless. She was a great teacher. I remember running into to her and her daughter at the circus when she was pregnant with her youngest daughter. We enjoyed the circus together. I think she paid for the popcorn. Years later I came into ER in liver failure and sepsis. I was afraid that my treatment would be delayed until I made it to ICU. She kept me in ER and drained my infected ascites fluid and started me on antibiotics. It was a busy Saturday night but she took time to give me my best chance of recovery. I have had a liver transplant for 25 years in large part due to her care and concern.

I was very fortunate to have been trained by, and to have known, Dr. Cathy Carrubba. She built most our local EMS systems (aeromed, TFR, EMS fellowship) and trained hundreds of medical students and many residents. She was a strong female personality in a male dominated world of medicine, EM, EMS. She was even instrumental in my desire to go to medical school when I was in grad school, watching ER and thinking about a change (she is in “Life in the ER”, 2001) - she exhibited the tough but cool traits I came to know as quintessential for EM. I even got to train with her when she still saw adults, before she decided they were too smelly (ha) and just wanted to take care of the kiddos. Thanks Carrubba (she preferred that over “Dr.”). You represent my mental model of “ER doc”. Tampa General Hospital USF Department of Emergency Medicine

Cathy was one of the real contributers in the early days of EMS and Emergency Medicine.  There was so much in flux that needed strong decent people to make decisions in patient care that last until today.  She participated in the major issues and rules that define what EMS and Emergency Medicine has become.  I see that many have written about her contributions.  It's actually more than that....in an early world where we defined the boundries of our brand of medicine she was a brave and strong advocate  for doing the right thing.  I will miss her strength, her off brand humor and her friendship.

Richard Slevinski MD, Past EMS Medical Director State of Florida

I learned a great deal from Dr. Carrubba: not only how to provide excellent care to patients, but also how to be a great human being.  I will never forget her.

I knew Cathy as lighthearted, confident, caring and creative. 

She never took life to seriously.  It was always a delight to talk with her and I love that she chuckled at her own jokes.  Cathy was not afraid to take up space in the world and get what she wanted. She lived life large and on her terms; once she got an idea in her head she worked hard to make it happen. She also used her that focus to support her family and do everything in her power to help everyone thrive.

My favorite personal memories were of Cathy sharing her ceramics studio. She would sculpt blank mugs so we could carve and decorate them.  She even taught me how to bring my idea of a lily pad spoon rest to reality! It was great to watch her carve her own mugs and inject so much life and creativity into something that could be used and shared every day. As someone who is also creative, it was these times I felt the most connected to Cathy.

Cathy lived a big life worthy celebration.  She will be remembered by the wonderful experiences she shared with all of us. ♡

Being with Cathy and even just speaking with Cathy was always a special experience.  Whether it was watching Saturday Night Live in her homey apartment in the ghetto (we lived next door), surviving a hurricane in the Bahamas, discovering a mysterious grove of giant and delicious blueberries in the Pine Barrens, searching for Yoda, or walking tide pools on a very cold beach or snorkeling at a very warm beach.  We  were extraordinarily lucky that we knew her, and our world is much sadder now that she is gone.

It is with great sadness to learn about the passing of Cathy Carrubba, one of the greatest physicians I have ever had the privilege to work alongside. Her loss is immeasurable, and the field of medicine will never be the same without her.
She was brilliant—truly one of the smartest people in any room, and she knew it. And more importantly, she wasn’t afraid to show it. She would call people out, tell someone exactly what needed to be said, and put even the most confident consulting physicians in their place without hesitation. She was the true queen of that ER, and everyone knew it.
Her knowledge in pediatric care, emergency medicine, and trauma was unmatched, but what made her exceptional was how she carried it—with confidence, strength, and a presence that demanded respect.
I had the honor of spending countless weekend nights working beside her in the emergency room—some of the greatest and most defining times of my life. We shared so many laughs and just as many heartbreaks. We lived through moments that most people will never understand, and in many ways, we were trauma bonded through it all.
Her sense of humor was unforgettable. She would always warn the new residents to “watch out for Melissa because she likes to make men cry,” and honestly, she wasn’t wrong. That was her—sharp, honest, hilarious, and completely unapologetic.
Together, we stood side by side through some of the hardest moments this job brings—delivering devastating news, holding space for families in their worst moments, and still finding a way to keep going. She was a constant, a leader, and someone you wanted next to you when everything was on the line.
She was more than an exceptional physician—she was a mentor, a confidant, a friend, and family. The time I spent working with her, alongside Daniel Wiley and Eric Curran, will forever be one of the most meaningful chapters of my life. She changed people—not just patients, and all of us who had the privilege of knowing her.

OBITUARY

Catherine Louise Carrubba

February 27, 1952 – March 20, 2026

Stowers Funeral Home

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