Meet
Dr. Blair Rolnick
Why did you choose your specialty?
The reason I chose pediatrics is close to home. When my niece was just three months old, she had a life-threatening emergency. Watching my family deal with this particularly hard time gave me a new appreciation for the importance of good pediatricians. In medical school, I felt like Pediatrics was an undervalued area for aspiring physicians. When you’re in the thick of it, that’s one of your little one’s well-being on the line, you realize that there are no more important people in the world than those caring for the health of your loved one. I was eternally grateful to the physicians, nurses, and hospital staff who saved her life, and I immediately knew there’s nothing else in the world I’d rather do than be that for other families. It was this passion to keep children safe and happy that drove me toward Pediatrics and ultimately to do additional training in pediatric emergency medicine.
During my training in Pediatric Emergency Medicine, I became a mother myself. Preparing for and immediately following the birth of my son, I felt a renewed compassion and a passion to help new mothers. I decided to transition again back to General Pediatrics, where I felt all my skills and passion would be best served.
What inspires you the most about medicine?
I think what inspires me most about medicine is what inspires most physicians and healthcare workers in the heart, and that is the ability to heal. What is special as a pediatrician is not only do I get to see my patients heal, but I also get to watch them grow. We get to support families to help our patients thrive. And along the way, we know that helping families navigate choices, from choosing the right diaper to helping them through an acute illness all make a positive influence on a child’s life.
Are you inspired by certain types of patients?
Not particularly, I find all children have an incredible ability to heal love and to bring joy to life around them. They are truly amazing in that they live life to the fullest, hold no grudges, and are fearless in their quest for adventure.
What do you do in your free time?
In my free time, I spend most of it with my family. I’m one of five and we all grew up in the same house where we lived our entire lives, which is why I decided to open my practice in the same town. We went to different colleges all over the country, but came back to live within driving distance of each other. Whether it’s Sunday Sauce or seeking out adventure on the ocean by surfing, wakeboarding, or hitting the mountains for skiing, we’re usually together.
Besides a passion for saltwater and sunshine, my family also has five little pups between us. I love taking them for beach runs, on walks, or just tossing the sauce as my brother says, haha, the frisbee that is.
My husband and I also have a love for everything that is coffee. We are always in search of the perfect cup. As is the motto of one of our favorite coffee shops, “if you hate bad coffee we should be friends”.
Click here to find Dr. Rolnick’s chapter on “The Technologically-Dependent Child” in Avoiding Common Errors in Pediatric Emergency Medicine.
Rolnick B, Amato C ch.191 “The Technologically-Dependent Child” Avoiding Common Errors in Pediatric Emergency Medicine. 1e. Woolridge. ISBN: 9781975138332. Wolters Kluwer.