Nationally-renowned pediatrician, professor emeritus, and author. His newest books, The Countdown — Cursive Is Dead, and Other Realities of Aging and 101 Lessons From The Dugout, find humor, grace, and hard-earned wisdom in growing older and in the game of life.
Harley A. Rotbart, M.D.
Named to Best Doctors in America · 18 consecutive years
As Featured In
Named to
Best Doctors in America
18 Consecutive Years
Dr. Harley Rotbart is a nationally-renowned pediatrician, physician-scientist, parenting expert, speaker, and educator.
Dr. Rotbart has been a Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases specialist for the past 40 years. He received his M.D. degree from Cornell University. His internship and residency in Pediatrics were at the University of Pennsylvania/Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, followed by fellowship in Pediatric Infectious Diseases at the University of Colorado/Children's Hospital Colorado. Following fellowship, Dr. Rotbart joined the full-time faculty of the University of Colorado Department of Pediatrics and Children's Hospital Colorado, where he currently is Professor and Vice Chairman Emeritus of the Department of Pediatrics.
Dr. Rotbart was named to Best Doctors in America for 18 consecutive years, as well as receiving numerous other national awards for research, teaching, and clinical work. He is the author of nearly 200 medical and scientific publications.
Dr. Rotbart is also "Coach Harley," having coached youth baseball and basketball for more than 16 years, including 8 years coaching baseball at the high school level. His 2026 book, "101 Lessons from the Dugout – What Baseball and Softball Can Teach Us About the Game of Life," has been endorsed by baseball and softball greats like Hall of Famer Reggie Jackson, legendary New York Yankee Bernie Williams, and many others.
Dr. Rotbart is getting older, and his most recent book, "The Countdown – Cursive Is Dead and Other Realities of Aging," reflects on that experience with a lighthearted, insightful, and emotionally resonant look at the strange, funny, and surprisingly meaningful experience of growing older. The Countdown expands on the widely-read pieces on aging Dr. Rotbart has written for the New York Times and other publications.
Dr. Rotbart is a nationally-renowned parenting expert, pediatrician, speaker, and educator. His recent parenting books include No Regrets Parenting (Updated and Expanded Edition), Germ Proof Your Kids, The On Deck Circle of Life, No Regrets Parenting (First Edition), and his beautiful combination keepsake journal/family activities guide, 940 Saturdays. For nearly 7 years, Dr. Rotbart wrote a monthly column for Parents Magazine. He has served on the Advisory Boards of Parents Magazine, Parents.com, and Children's Health Magazine.
Expanding on Dr. Rotbart's "No Regrets" philosophy from parenting to the rest of our adult lives, his 2021 book "No Regrets Living - 7 Keys to a Life of Wonder and Contentment" is a proactive, 7-step plan to help us better appreciate what we have in our lives, and take greater pride in what we've done with our lives, without spending precious time and energy wishing things had turned out differently.
As physicians, occasionally in the course of caring for our patients we encounter events that truly stun us. Unforgettable occurrences that defy all of our predictions and expectations. The "Miracles Project" is a collection of these stories, medical miracles, written by leading doctors who witnessed them, physicians at the top of their fields. The project resulted in a remarkable bestselling book, "Miracles We Have Seen – America's Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can't Forget."
Dr. Rotbart has made hundreds of national and local media appearances.
Dr. Rotbart and his wife, Sara, live in Denver, Colorado and are the parents of 3 millennial-age kids and grandparents of 8, on whom he continues to practice what he preaches.
Dr. Rotbart's beloved books have ranged from parenting and personal growth guides, to graceful aging and life lessons from sports.
“This book has everything for young ballplayers and fans alike—life lessons, love of sports, and a genuine passion for the games of baseball and softball. It's easy for me to see the tremendous value of these lessons because I was really born and bred in baseball.”
“As a witness to one of the miracles recounted in this uplifting book, I welcome Dr. Rotbart's extraordinary collection of compelling testimonies from leading physicians. Take a look, and have your faith in God – and in his agents of healing, doctors – renewed!”
“I have shared your book with our foundation staff and encouraged them to incorporate the lessons into our character education program. Thank you for contributing to the development of healthy, happy children.”
“Dr. Rotbart's No Regrets Parenting is something special. It's short, it's sweet, and it's more about being a parent than it is about actually parenting the kids themselves.”
“These remarkable essays inspire wonder, awe, and a sense of pride of being human. They demonstrate that the miracle of miracles is that they do happen when health professionals combine their medical skills with unrelenting devotion to the art of healing.”
“Dr. Rotbart has a gift for uncovering and explaining the countless possibilities in parenting. This book is a treasure for all of us with children.”
Thoughts on parenting, aging gracefully, baseball life lessons, and living without regrets.
Last week my co-author, Ken Davidoff, and I had the pleasure of appearing on Elizabeth Hamilton-Guarino’s “Best Ever You” podcast. Elizabeth is one of the world’s leading voices in personal development and peaceful leadership, inspiring…
Our new book, “101 Lessons from the Dugout – What Baseball and Softball Can Teach Us About the Game of Life” has become a phenomenon, with appearances on Morning Joe, ESPN.com, NPR, MLB.com, and dozens of other broadcasts and podcasts.…
When I was younger, I was okay with most loud noises, at least for short periods of time. I didn’t love or crave noise, but I accepted it for what came with it. I happily endured the roar of a packed stadium at a major sporting event –…
As physicians, occasionally in the course of caring for our patients we encounter events that truly stun us. Unforgettable occurrences that defy all of our predictions and expectations.
"Miracles We Have Seen" is a remarkable collection of medical miracles, written by leading doctors who witnessed them—physicians at the top of their fields from the nation's top university medical schools.
65
Charities Supported
100%
Net Author Proceeds Donated
75
Leading Physician Contributors
Dr. Rotbart is donating 100% of net author proceeds from sales of the book to the 65 charities chosen by the 75 physician-essayists participating in this project.
Miami Book Fair
Dr. Harley Rotbart with Dana Perino
