A Real Family Physican

Dr. Robert Bornstein is leaving his pediatric practice after a distinguished 50-year career of providing medical care to children in Winthrop and Revere.

Bornstein spent his last day at TLC Pediatrics , 280 Beach Street, last Thursday. Several parents and former patients stopped by the office to thank him for his expert care and wish him well in the next chapter of his career.

The 80-year-old Bornstein will head to Texas where he will continue to practice medicine with his son, Dr. Michael Bornstein, a pediatrician who has three medical offices in the Houston area.

Bornstein said he enjoyed the relationships that extend two generations with local families.

“I’ve seen kids grow up and then when they’ve become parents, their kids came here as well,” said Bernstein.

Bernstein graduated from Everett High School in 1950 and Brandeis University in 1954 as a member of the school’s third-ever graduating class (Brandeis was founded in 1948). The university, located in Waltham, has become one of the most elite schools in the country.

He attended Tufts University School of Medicine and did his training at Boston Floating Hospital where he became the chief resident physician. He entered the U.S. Army and served as a Captain performing pediatric medicine in Virginia.

Bornstein returned to Winthrop and conducted a pediatric practice with Dr. William Glazer for five years. In 1968, he started his pediatric practice in Revere and stayed in the city for 46 years.

“I love the people, the city, and the area,” said Bornstein. “I’ve known the people of Revere all my life. I met my wife [Barbara] down Revere Beach and we’ve been very happily married for many years.”

In addition to their son, Michael, who attended Harvard University and Boston University School of Medicine, the Bornsteins have a daughter, Beth, a graduate of Emerson College who teaches writing and acting in Hawaii.

Bornstein said there have been significant technological advancements in medicine over the course of his career.

“Medicine has changed quite a bit technologically and there have been many improvements,” said Bornstein. “There are more medications. People live longer. When I started, they didn’t have open-heart surgeries. Many of the vaccines that we have now weren’t around. When I was young, we had a lot of measles, mumps, and chicken pox cases – you very rarely see that anymore.”

Bornstein also recalled making numerous house calls at all hours of the day through the mid 1980s.

Bornstein has been a generous contributor to  various charities and was named Man of the Year by the Jimmy Fund and the Colitis Foundation. He received the prestigious Tom Yawkey Award from the Boston Red Sox in recognition of his benevolence and community service.

“I’m going to miss Revere a lot but I won’t miss the winters,” said Bornstein. “Driving in to work each day from Winthrop and going along Revere Beach and looking at the ocean – that’s a special scene. I’m happy with what I accomplished in my career. I had a wonderful practice, first with Dr. [Ailish] Hayes and then with Dr. [Janet] Chua.”