Most children aren’t privy to their parents’ struggles in becoming doctors, but Dr. Mikhail Varshavsky has vivid memories of watching his father, a Russian doctor, navigate medical school and residency in the U.S.
“My father made the decision to start over with his medical education in a new country and language. I fell in love with this field and realized that it’s truly what I want to pursue for the rest of my life,” he recalls.
Although the label of “sexy doctor living” wasn’t part of his initial aspirations, Varshavski utilizes this attention to share health information with millions.
His family emigrated from Russia when he was six, chasing a better life. Yet, this transition wasn’t easy. “We had to rebuild our lives completely from scratch,” he said, mentioning how his mother, a mathematics professor, initially worked menial jobs to support the family while his father worked tirelessly to regain his medical qualifications.
Following in his father’s footsteps, Varshavski completed an accelerated seven-year program covering both a bachelor’s in life sciences and a doctorate in osteopathic medicine at the New York Institute of Technology.
In 2014, before starting his residency, he began building a following on Instagram. His “15 minutes of fame” came unexpectedly after a BuzzFeed article in 2015 featured him and his Husky, noting his appeal. It caught him off guard. “This isn’t the kind of attention I was looking for,” he reflects. “I simply wanted to educate people and promote good health information.”
He launched a YouTube channel called “Doctor Mike,” driven by the frustration of seeing patients misled by myths and misinformation online. With approximately 14 million subscribers now, he realized he could reach many more people than just those he saw in person each day.
“The first thing patients do is often check their phones; I wanted to be a trusted source there for them,” he explained. His goal is to support patients, especially those who can’t physically visit a doctor.
In addition to providing responses to popular medical dramas or TikTok trends, Varshavski has also engaged with a range of figures, from celebrities to political leaders like Dr. Anthony Fauci and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
Balancing online fame with his medical practice, Varshavski finds that most people don’t recognize him, though those who do often express excitement. “It’s rewarding to see the joy it brings to a nervous child at the doctor’s office,” he noted.
Varshavski is scheduled to appear on “Fox & Friends” on Tuesday, May 27th.
