Williamsport
Michael Lazar was born and raised in northern New Jersey between the tropical paradise of Newark and primary filming town of the Sopranos. His father was a first generation American who put himself through college at night while working full time on the factory floor. His mother, an immigrant from Poland, put his 10-hour-a-day work ethic to shame. Michael was able to earn a full academic scholarship to Rutgers College and was the first in the family to attend Medical School. After completing this at UMDNJ-New Jersey Medical School in Newark he went on to complete surgical residency at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson and then Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Penn State Hershey. (That’s 12 years if anyone’s counting.) He is fully board certified in Cardiac and Thoracic Surgery, holds a Masters in Health Care Administration, numerous surgical certifications and is a Fellow of the American College of Cardiology.
He gratefully spent the first 10 years of his career on staff at Hershey working with some of the finest physicians he has ever known while practicing cardiac and thoracic surgery with an emphasis on minimally invasive and robotic approaches and well as cardiac transplantation. As fate would have it, he met the love of his life and future wife (now commonly known as the prettier, better, nicer Dr. Lazar) during a cardiac transplant recovery.
They were recruited together to join the team at the Williamsport Hospital as part of an affiliation agreement with the Cleveland Clinic in 2013 and fell in love with the area and people. His passion for wellness and anti-aging strategies are somewhat self-serving, as time comes for us all. While his work in this area is not associated in any way with his current role with UPMC, his passion for advancing our understanding of wellness and healthspan (the important part of lifespan) pervades all he does.
