Rob Parisien skiied on the US Ski team from 1987 to 1992, competing in one Winter Olympics. His sister, Julie, competed in three Winter Olympics for the USA as an alpine skier. Parisien did his undergraduate studies at the University of Colorado, majoring in philosophy, and then attended medical school at Dartmouth. He did a residency in orthopaedic surgery at Harvard and Mass General. Parisien practices orthopaedics in Manchester, New Hampshire, where he specializes in sports medicine and traumatology. He has rather diverse interests as he is also an accomplished baroque luteist, and studies the philosophy of science.