3 of Naples’ Top Physicians

Dr. Salvatore Anzalone
Photography by Vanessa Rogers

1. Dr. Salvatore Anzalone

A love of his alma mater lured pediatrician Dr. Salvatore “Sal” Anzalone back to where he knew he belonged. A graduate of the University of Florida and an avid Gators fan, Anzalone practiced for many years in Pennsylvania, but when his son won a spot on the football team at U.F., Anzalone’s future plans became more immediate.

“I ended up moving here to support my son,” he says, adding that he always knew he’d wind up in Florida one day. “In 2013, I began looking for opportunities, so while my son was playing football, I was going on interviews.” In 2014 he joined Healthcare Network of Southwest Florida, whose mission since its founding in 1977 has been to provide dental and medical care to everyone, regardless of income level or insurance. He is now the medical director for pediatrics. Read more…

Dr. Don Lee Bradke

2. Dr. Don Lee Bradke

After more than 50 years as a physician, Dr. Don Lee Bradke earned his place in the sun. He and his wife, Rheta, a registered nurse, retired to Naples in 2016 after leaving his last position as emergency room medical director of a critical access hospital in Indiana. But it wasn’t long before he was searching for a way to return to his medical roots as an internist.

Bradke began his career in internal medicine and practiced in Oklahoma City and New Orleans before moving to Indiana. He transitioned to emergency care in his 50s, when he and his wife began raising a second family. After bringing up three children, they adopted eight more within six years, starting when he was 52 years old. “In internal medicine, I was on call seven days a week and at night,” Bradke says. “Changing to emergency care allowed me to work a 12- or 24-hour shift, and then I was off for two to three days.” Read more…

Dr. George Mantikas

3. Dr. George Mantikas

Naples dentist George Mantikas enjoys the best of Northern and Southern living, traveling regularly between his practices in Connecticut and Naples. Although he purchased a condo in Naples 17 years ago with the intention of relaxing, he was lured into opening a Naples office when another dentist approached him about buying his business. “At first I said no,” Mantikas explains. “But then I thought about it and decided to do it.”

Mantikas not only expanded his dental practice to Naples but his philanthropy, as well. His long career in dentistry has always included a healthy dose of community involvement and giving back. Both in Naples and up north, he sponsors local sports teams and donates to veterans’ groups. In Connecticut, he volunteers with Mission of Mercy, which provides dental care to the needy. Every year, the nationwide charity sets up a makeshift clinic in a large venue, such as a civic center, for a three-day weekend. Portable dental chairs and equipment are brought in and the volunteer dentists go to work. “The last one I was involved in, we saw probably a total of 2,000 patients during the weekend,” Mantikas says. Read more…

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