Meet Misha Roitshteyn, M.D. –
Pleasanton office pediatrician

For Misha Roitshteyn, M.D., choosing a career in medicine was an easy decision, perhaps even destiny. As a child, he grew up in a family of doctors: grandparents, aunts, uncles and family friends sharing fascinating medical stories, all of which impressed his various interests in the medical field from an early age.

Dr. Roitshteyn attended the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York. During his years there, Dr. Oliver Wolf Sacks, world renowned and honorary neurologist, author and producer served on the clinical faculty. Dr. Sacks taught his students the intrinsic value of appreciating and practicing the philosophy of medicine. It was during these early years when Dr. Roitshteyn discovered his love for working with children and interacting with parents. Naturally, he decided to pursue a specialty in pediatrics and moved to California to complete his residency at the Stanford University Children’s Hospital (now Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital). His particular interests in pediatrics include skin disorders, developmental problems, ADHD, autism, asthma, allergies and health issues specific to adolescence.

Charmed by its small town feel, he moved to Pleasanton in 1994 after completing his residency and joined Bay Valley Medical Group in 1999. “One of the advantages of living in a small community is that I frequently meet my patients outside of the office in a variety of social settings and at community events,” said Dr. Roitshteyn. This social interaction has allowed him to earn a special relationship with his community, one that Dr. Oliver Sacks once phrased, “A pediatrician will learn how well he is trusted when his patients become parents and they can bring their own children to him for care.” In his recent years, Dr. Roitshteyn has begun to see the children of his earliest patients; a rewarding sign of faith from his patients, a tribute to Dr. Sacks’ legacy and a personal accomplishment for himself as a pediatrician.

Since 2004, he has served as an assistant clinical professor at the University of California School of Medicine, teaching medical students during their pediatric rotations. Working with medical students has not only given Dr. Roitshteyn the opportunity to pass on the craft and philosophy of medicine, but it also motivates him to keep up with the latest progress in the rapidly changing medical field. Like any good teacher, he aims to inspire the best from each of his students and hopes that he, too, can influence a young medical student to choose pediatrics as a specialty.

In his spare time, Dr. Roitshteyn enjoys photography and traveling. His most recent trips have included Europe and Japan.

Dr. Roitshteyn’s philosophy of treating patients is a simple one best expressed by Greek physician, Hippocrates, who said, “First, do no harm.” To him, this Hippocratic Oath is more than just a promise; it’s a privilege and a passion.