Our Mission To Serve The Community
Ground-breaking: 1951. Doors opened: 1954. In the decades since, every element of groundbreaking growth has been designed with one thing in mind: personalizing your care to humanize healthcare.
At the heart of every great recipe is the ingredients. For more than 60 years, the Fatigati family of Bridgeville were proud restaurateurs. Today, internal medicine is the family business—one that sprouted from a strong desire to want to be in the mix.
“I grew up working in the restaurant, and every single day was a test,” Mario says. “The whole family was right there in the room, and we were always ‘on call’—that was the message: you’re only as good as the next dish you put out and the service you provide. There was a tremendous amount of family pride.”
Inspired by the generational branches of his family tree that brought their personal best to the table, Mario ventured overseas to earn his medical degree in Italy after completing undergrad at Allegheny College.
“My grandparents immigrated to Pittsburgh and their life of service to the community was through the restaurant. I was born at St. Clair Hospital. I went to high school in Canonsburg. And I went back to Italy with the goal of returning to practice medicine in this community,” he says. “It means so much because my family’s history is right here.”
Mario’s daughter, Nina, traces her medical roots to one very influential memory at St. Francis Medical Center, where her father trained and first started practicing.
“I have two sisters, but I was the lucky one who got to go to the take-your-daughter-to-work day. I vividly remember the dress I wore—blue with white flowers—because every time I think about that day it fills me with so much passion,” she says. “I was six years old and I loved every minute of it—awestruck by watching how my dad interacted with his patients. That day set the stage for wanting to be in the mix.”
Nina’s flashback creates a collision course of memories for Mario.
“This is my 34th year at St. Clair and I take care of six of my high school teachers,” he says. “Nina’s created so many of her own tight-knit relationships with the community, and that’s the heartbeat of both what we do and why we do it.”
Believing. In standing up for what’s on your heart.
Striving. In service of the people and the place you call home. Committing. To bringing the best version of yourself to the arena every day.
For Nina, those messages were delivered through sports.
“My sisters and I all played college volleyball. My dad’s early message wasn’t, ‘You have to be a doctor.’ It was, ‘You have to want to be in the mix.’ We learned how to compete and put ourselves out there—even when it’s not comfortable,” she says. “What really stuck with us is the idea that when the game is on the line, you want to have the ball in your hands.”
And from the outset of his career, Mario has been running with it throughout the community he’s so proud to serve.
“For me, it’s all about your actions speaking louder than your words ever could,” he says. “That’s why I wanted to get involved with so many different aspects of the community, even as a young physician, and continue to elevate that link over the years. The wonderful work we’ve been able to carry out with Kane Community Living Centers, through different opportunities with leadership and the medical staff at St. Clair—it’s always been driven by the critically important goal to increase our ability to connect at every level.”
Nina picked up on that lesson early and applied it throughout her journey to St. Clair Health. She worked one high school summer at Glen Hazel Community Living Center and then earned her medical credentials at larger, city-based institutions.
“Nothing ever clicked—and I never felt at home—until I came here. There’s just nothing that creates the same kind of connection as this community,” she says. “I didn’t want to miss the opportunity to help the people who helped raise me.”
Which brings us back to the dinner table—around which Nina is now raising her own young family with yet another medical expert, her husband, Christopher Pray, MD, FACC, Director of Non-Invasive Cardiology, Cardiac Imaging & Heart Failure Service at St. Clair Health.
“Chris believes that the best way to curate care is to really dig into the personal perspective of each patient. And when you see the care that the partner you’re building your life with gives every day, it doesn’t get more personal than that,” Nina says. “We live in Peters Township, and Bethel Park is the best place in the world to him—he loves it. We’re all-in!”
The spirit of common experiences that almost can’t be put into words infuses Mario Fatigati with the feeling that whether his grandchildren become doctors or find another vocation, they’ll no doubt find their way into the future in service of the community. He’s equally adamant that the Fatigatis are far from the only South Hills family at St. Clair Health whose business is delivering expert care.
“It’s one of the rare things that has always made this place so special—many of our doctors are from here, they live in the same neighborhoods as many of their patients, and together, we all feel the difference that makes,” he says. “At St. Clair Health, you’re not a number—and we’re carrying that forward for generations to come.”
Nina is particularly passionate about system-wide growth and integrated services that allows their multi-generational story to help St. Clair Health lead the region forward in tandem with every dedicated physician, nurse, and staff member across St. Clair Medical Group Internal Medicine.
“When we talk about taking care of your family, we’re really talking about trust. It’s a privilege to be able to refer our patients to specialists right under the same roof because that’s not just what our community demands—it’s the level of care they deserve,” she says. “People need to feel heard. Beyond physical health, mental health and lifestyle goals are more important than ever. One of the best parts of what we do every day is knowing that here…we make things personal.”
MARIO J. FATIGATI, MD, FACP, CMD
Dr. Fatigati specializes in internal medicine and primary care. He is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine and the American Board of Internal Medicine— Geriatric Medicine. Dr. Fatigati earned his medical degree at Universita Di Roma, Italy, before completing an internal medicine residency at St. Francis Medical Center, where he also completed an internal medicine fellowship. He practices with St. Clair Medical Group and was named a Top Doctor by Pittsburgh Magazine in 2023. To contact Dr. Fatigati, please call 412.221.3377.
NINA M. FATIGATI, MD
Dr. Fatigati specializes in internal medicine and primary care. She is board-certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine. Dr. Fatigati earned her medical degree from the University of Pittsburgh and completed residency at UPMC. She practices with St. Clair Medical Group. To contact Dr. Fatigati, please call 724.731.0090.