Richard Goldberg, D.O., is a doctor of physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) at Shriners Children’s Philadelphia and New England in Springfield, Massachusetts. He has more than 30 years of experience caring for patients with many conditions. He attended medical school at the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine, and held his residency at the Robert Wood Johnson Rehabilitation Institute in Edison, New Jersey. He has served in a few different leadership roles with the American Osteopathic College of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation, most notably being past president after serving two times.
Since he ws young, Dr. Goldberg wanted to go into rehabilitation medicine because of gripping experiences in childhood. When he was 14, his brother passed away from osteogenic sarcoma, a pediatric bone cancer that used to have a very high fatality rate. During this time, Goldberg was introduced to many aspects of pediatric care that he now provides today. From seeing the rehabilitation his brother had, to the care his brother received for a prosthetic limb, Dr. Goldberg started on his path to loving pediatric orthopedic care.
During medical school as he completed his degrees, he needed to find which aspect of care he’d focus on, especially considering Goldberg’s hand condition. According to Dr. Goldberg’s anecdotal observations, most physiatrists have some rehabilitation-related condition themselves, which influences them to go into rehabilitation. For Goldberg, it’s a nerve palsy in his right hand, which makes it difficult to manipulate surgical instruments well, making his choice of rehabilitation medicine even easier.
“This is always where I wanted to end up – devoting my time to children,” said Goldberg, speaking about his career in orthopedics and why he joined the team at Shriners Children’s. “The mission statement is outstanding and everyone knows that I agree with it.”
His other career highlights include working as the sports physician for Hatboro-Horsham High School, Upper Moreland High School, and Wissahickon High School for approximately 30 years, all of which are in the suburbs of Philadelphia, in southeastern Pennsylvania. As part of the position, he would attend the school sporting events with his family on the weekends, roaming the sidelines and making sure the players stayed safe.
He also ran the infirmary at Camp Nock-A-Mixon in Bucks County, Pennsylvania, for around eight years. He provided orthopedic care to the campers throughout that time, but he noted that there was always something else going on, too. One year there was a swine flu outbreak, and then another, there was a lice infestation. “There was always something going on, so it stayed interesting,” said Goldberg.
In his personal life, Dr. Goldberg loves spending time with his wife, Robyn, their dog Remi, and taking long walks in local parks. He has three adult children: an attorney, a teacher and a physician assistant. He looks forward to grandchildren in the future and plans to stay very actively involved… if his children don’t mind.
