Biography

The Keys to “No Regrets Living”

Dr. Rotbart’s latest work, “No Regrets Living – 7 Keys to a Life of Wonder and Contentment,” tackles one of the greatest challenges we all may face to finding fulfillment in life – regrets about what could have been. Many people reach the end of their lives wishing they could change the past. Turning back the clock is impossible, but Dr. Harley Rotbart’s new book, No Regrets Living, offers sage guidance 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.Dr. Rotbart bridges science and faith from his unique perspective as physician, scientist, heart surgery patient and child of a Holocaust survivor. In No Regrets Living, he prescribes the 7 keys to a life of wonder and contentment: Belief, Discovery, Healing, Appreciation, Acceptance, Seeking and Growth, and how to cultivate each in your life. Woven into the timeless message of the book are especially timely observations on the COVID-19 pandemic from Dr. Rotbart’s expert perspective as an infectious diseases physician, including coping mechanisms and paths for going forward as individuals and as a society.

The Miracles Project

Dr. Harley Rotbart

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, which began in 2014, has resulted in a remarkable new book, “Miracles We Have Seen – America’s Leading Physicians Share Stories They Can’t Forget,” published in September, 2016 by HCI Books, publishers of the original “Chicken Soup for the Soul” series. Contributors to this book include pediatricians, internists, surgeons, family medicine specialists, emergency medicine physicians, obstetricians, psychiatrists, and sub-specialists in a wide variety of fields. Leaders in bedside care and preeminent educators, including deans and department heads on the faculties of the top university medical schools in the country. The common thread among us is that we have borne witness to unexplainable, unforgettable, and profoundly unexpected events— medical miracles—in our patients. Dr. Rotbart is donating 100% of net author proceeds from sales of the book to the 65 charities chosen by the physician-essayists participating in this project. 

Parenting

Dr. Rotbart is a nationally-renowned parenting expert, pediatrician, speaker, and educator. He has served on the Advisory Boards of Parents Magazine, Parents.com, and Children’s Health Magazine. With the publication of the Updated and Expanded Edition of his classic No Regrets Parenting book, Dr. Rotbart again demonstrates his profound parenting wisdom and insight. In addition to updating the entire first edition, his new edition also includes brand new sections on “Parenting Young Adult Children” and “No Regrets Grandparenting.” His previous parenting books include, the first edition of No Regrets Parenting, Germ Proof Your Kids, The On Deck Circle of Life and his beautiful combination keepsake journal/family activities guide, 940 Saturdays. He regularly speaks to large national audiences of parents, school, and youth sports organizations, as well as to community groups around the country. Dr. Rotbart also speaks widely to national professional organizations of physicians, nurses, and allied health professionals.

Media

Dr. Rotbart’s national media appearances include: The Dr. Oz Show (two appearances), CBS’ The Early Show, National Public Radio, Coast-to-Coast Radio, USA Today, Parents Magazine, Time Magazine, US News and World Report, Redbook Magazine, SELF Magazine, Kiwi Magazine, Fit Parenting, Chicago Tribune, Los Angeles Times, Health Magazine, Ladies Home Journal, First for Women, VIV Magazine, Prevention Magazine, Cafe Mom/The Stir, ABCNews.com, USAToday.com, ChicagoTribune.com, MSNBC.com, Livestrong.com, and hundreds of radio programs, podcasts and guest blog posts.  He is a regular monthly contributor to Parents Magazine’s Parents Perspective, and a contributor to several New York Times  blogs and to Jill Smokler’s ScaryMommy.com. His No Regrets Parenting Show was one of the original programs on MomTV. In February, 2009, Dr. Rotbart teamed with former American Idol Brooke White for a nationwide satellite media tour promoting influenza prevention. In February, 2010, he collaborated with former American Idol Danny Gokey for another nationwide flu-awareness satellite media tour.  Filmmaker Chris Condayan has prepared a video documentary for parents featuring Dr. Rotbart in collaboration with the National Academy of Sciences, which can be viewed here, or by clicking the YouTube link on this page. For a complete listing of Dr. Rotbart’s appearances and writings, see the “Appearances” page of this website.

Education and Professional

Dr. Rotbart has been a Pediatrics and Infectious Diseases specialist for the past 38 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 more than 175 medical and scientific publications in the fields of pediatrics, infectious diseases, and molecular virology. He developed and patented the gold standard test for diagnosing viral meningitis, a test still used around the world today. His book for physicians and biologists, Human Enterovirus Infections (ASM Press)is the most comprehensive text in that field.

Personal

Dr. Rotbart and his wife Sara live in Denver, Colorado and are the proud parents of 3 adult kids and the even prouder grandparents of five. 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 baseball and softball book for kids and their parents, The On Deck Circle of Life – 101 Lessons from the Dugout (2007) was among the bestselling kids’ sports books in the country, endorsed by baseball Hall of Famer Cal Ripken, Jr. who wrote: “I have shared your book with our Foundation and encouraged them to incorporate the lessons into our character education program. Thank you for contributing to the development of healthy, happy children.”