Robert Rosenthal, MD
1936 - 2021
It is with sadness that I inform you that Dr. Robert K. Rosenthal passed away on Thursday February 25th in Sarasota, Florida after a short illness. Dr. Rosenthal, or “Rosy” to so many of us, was ebullient. Forever cheerful, always kind and gentle in demeanor. He made all of us and his patients smile.
Dr. Rosenthal graduated from Boston University and then Tufts University medical school. During medical school, he was an Arthritis and Rheumatism Foundation fellow at the Robert Bent Brigham hospital. After an internship in surgery at New England Medical Center, Dr. Rosenthal entered the US Air Force for two years of service to our country. He returned to Orthopaedic Surgery residency at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Patterson, NJ followed by two fellowship years at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York. Dr. Rosenthal returned to Boston as the United Cerebral Palsy Clinical Fellow at BCH in 1972. He stayed on staff thereafter until his retirement in 2016.
Dr. Rosenthal served as the Secretary, Treasurer and then President of the Medical Staff Association at Boston Children’s Hospital in 2- to 4- year terms intermittently between 1978 to 1996. He was a member of many pediatric orthopaedic surgery national organizations, but his true focus and passion was caring for children with cerebral palsy. He dedicated his clinical, education and leadership life to improving the care, training, and organizational support for children and their families with CP and special needs.
Dr. Rosenthal was a continuous main-stay in our Wednesday CP clinic. He worked with our residents and fellows and was an enthusiastic supporter of the growth of our CP program including helping advance the careers of Drs. Snyder and then Shore; and working closely with Drs. Melkonian and Nimec amongst others, to provide the best care.
He was an ardent supporter and leader in the American Academy of Cerebral Palsy and Developmental Medicine (AACPDM), ultimately serving as Vice-President and then President from 1993 to 1996. Dr. Rosenthal traveled internationally to share his expertise in the care of children with CP in Cyprus, Greece (including being a visiting Professor in Thessaloniki in 2004) and Dubai.
He was generous with his time and philanthropy, serving on the Endowment Committee of the AACPDM and creating an endowment fund for the Robert K. Rosenthal Lecturer at BCH during our multi-disciplinary CP educational conference. Experts nationally and internationally come to teach us, share with us, and learn from us. Just a remarkable gift and legacy.
Dr. Rosenthal’s passions outside of BCH were music and theater. A constant attendee of performances in Boston and Lenox, he served several terms on the Board of the Celebrity Series in Boston, 10 years on the Board of the Barrington Stage Company, and was active in his support of Tangelwood and the Shakespeare Company.
His deepest passion was his family. He and his wife Esther were married 60 years. Their children Geoffrey, Emily, and Jocelyn, their spouses and children will miss him dearly.
Mostly we will remember Bob for his smile, his calmness, his generosity. His humanity always shone through. Our condolences to Esther and the entire extended Rosenthal family.
