"I pride myself in being very thorough in my evaluations and leaving no stone unturned."
Dr. Robert Steiner always enjoyed science in school, but never could narrow down his interest to any particular science. He knew he wanted a profession that provided the opportunity to work with and help people.
“My grandfather and uncle, both of whom I admired greatly, were physicians,” Dr. Steiner said. “Medicine requires significant knowledge and use of science, so when it came time to make decisions about career, medicine became a very logical choice.”
Dr. Steiner is a rare disease specialist, who evaluates patients who have, or are suspected of having, almost any genetic disease. He sees patients with Down syndrome, phenylketonuria, inherited metabolic disease and hereditary cancer syndrome, among many others.
“Listening to patients is key to providing excellent patient care,” Dr. Steiner said. “I’m fortunate that my specialty allows me to spend a good deal of time with every patient.”
Dr. Steiner enjoys the integration of research findings into his practice, as well as getting to know patients and their families through their care journey.
“I’m always trying to apply the latest research findings in order to try to diagnose and effectively treat my patients,” he said.
Dr. Steiner received his medical degree from the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health in Madison in 1987. He completed his residency at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center in pediatrics in 1990, and completed his fellowship at the University of Washington-Medical Center and Children’s Hospital and Regional Medical Center in Seattle, Washington in genetics by 1992.
Dr. Steiner is married with four children, and is kind of an oddity as a geneticist with identical twin daughters. He enjoys trivia, as well as bicycling, yard work, reading and traveling.