Robin Beth Steinberg-Epstein

Robin Beth Steinberg-Epstein, 59, beloved daughter of Cecile and the late Merrill Steinberg and affectionately known as Dr. Epstein by her patients and colleagues, passed away surrounded by friends and family after a four-year battle with pancreatic cancer.

A fifth-generation San Franciscan, Robin attended Brandeis Nursery School and the French-American Bilingual School before moving to Hillsborough, California, where she went to West School, Crocker Middle School, and Burlingame High School. At the University of California, Berkeley, she became a proud Cal Bear, designed her own major-Psychological Neuroendocrinology-and worked as a pregnancy counselor at Planned Parenthood and a crisis counselor at Suicide Prevention. These experiences deepened a calling that had begun at age fourteen, when a book about an autistic child sparked her lifelong fascination with development and behavior and set her on the path toward pediatrics.

Robin attended UC Irvine School of Medicine, where her commitment to caring for children and her focus on child development were fully cemented. During her third year of medical school, she met Dr. Roger John Epstein, a young, handsome resident who would become the love of her life, her devoted husband, and her best friend for the next thirty-one years.

She completed her pediatric residency at Harbor-UCLA, turning down Harvard so she could remain in California with soon-to-be husband Roger. In her residency application, Robin wrote: "A child's mind, with its untamed curiosity and excitement, draws me in to watch as each experience shapes a life. It is a place where intervention can truly make life-altering changes. I look forward to artfully diagnosing and treating children and their families while educating, supporting, and comforting." For nearly thirty years, she lived out that vision, caring for hundreds of children and families across Los Angeles and Orange Counties.

In 1998, Robin joined the UC Irvine faculty as a Clinical Professor of Medicine and became one of the first physicians board-certified in the newly recognized specialty of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. At UCI, she practiced both general and behavioral pediatrics and was a serious academic-publishing more than twenty articles in peer-reviewed journals, contributing to foundational research on ADHD and autism, and helping identify the unique behavioral challenges faced by autistic adolescents and young adults. Yet what mattered most to her was her day-to-day clinical work: the children who ran into her office to show her a drawing; the parents who finally felt understood; the teenagers who began to believe in themselves; and the children from underserved communities who were, at last, properly diagnosed and treated for neurodevelopmental disorders. Robin routinely went far beyond what was required-taking late-night calls from parents and continuing to care for patients long after they had technically aged out of her practice. She loved her work and her patients.

In 2001, Robin helped open For OC Kids, which later became the University's Center for Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disorders (CAND). The center reflected her core belief that every child deserves to be seen, understood, and supported, and it became the focus of her clinical work for the remainder of her career. Robin was the physician other doctors called when a case was especially complicated, the doctor many UCI faculty trusted with their own children's care, and the person families turned to when they felt overwhelmed and afraid. She had a rare gift for translating complex science into clear, practical guidance that families could understand and act upon.

Robin loved life. She traveled to more than sixty countries-Morocco was her favorite-dined at the world's most innovative restaurants, enjoyed exceptional wines (especially Saxum and Turley), and cherished evenings at the theater. She loved hosting and throwing parties, most notably her legendary annual Hanukkah celebrations and Passover seders. She formed lifelong friendships everywhere she went-at school, at work, and through her children's communities. She baked a mean key lime pie and cheesecake (her mother's recipe). Her favorite place in the world was Lake Tahoe, where she spent every summer from childhood with her extended family.

Robin's devotion to family was unwavering. She never hesitated to support her parents, siblings, in-laws, nieces, nephews, and cousins-medically, emotionally, or simply by showing up-and she traveled frequently to the Bay Area whenever her family needed her.

Above all else, Robin was a proud and deeply devoted mother to her two children, Izak (29) and Sam (26). Izak is completing his final year at Harvard Law School, and Sam is studying social work at California State University, Long Beach.

To honor Robin's legacy, the family invites contributions to the Dr. Robin Steinberg-Epstein Memorial Endowment at the The Center for Autism & Neurodevelopmental Disorders, supporting autistic people as they transition to adulthood; inquiries may be directed to izakepstein333@gmail.com