Dr. Mikhail “Mike” Varshavski (born November 12, 1989), known online as Doctor Mike, is a Russian-American YouTuber, internet personality, certified family physician, philanthropist, and professional boxer. He is widely recognized for his medically themed entertainment videos and his efforts to debunk false medical claims.
Early Life and Education
Dr. Mike was born in Saransk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union. His father, Oskar, was a physician, and his mother was a mathematics professor. When he was five, his family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York, as refugees. Dr. Mike was given the nickname “Doctor Mike” during his high school years by friends who came to him for sports-related injuries. Inspired by his father’s relationship with his patients, Dr. Mike decided to pursue a career in medicine.
He enrolled in the New York Institute of Technology and was accepted into an accelerated, seven-year combined track for a bachelor’s degree in life sciences and a medical degree (Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine). During his first year in the medical portion of the program, his mother passed away from leukemia. Dr. Mike completed his residency at Atlantic Health System’s Overlook Medical Center’s Family Medicine program in 2017.
Rise to Fame
Dr. Mike joined Instagram in early 2012 to document his life as a medical student and combat the notion that “you can’t have a life in medical school.” He gained media attention in August 2015 when BuzzFeed published an article about him titled “Um, You Really Need To See This Hot Doctor And His Dog,” highlighting his good looks and his relationship with his dog, a Husky named Roxy. He was also featured in People Magazine’s 2015 Sexiest Man Alive edition.
Career Highlights
Dr. Mike’s YouTube channel, , has over 13 million subscribers. He posts videos related to health, pop culture, and medical education. His content includes reaction videos, medical memes, and fact-checking misleading TikToks. In September 2022, he launched a health-related podcast on his YouTube channel named “The Checkup Podcast with Doctor Mike,” which covers subjects related to sexual health, mental health, physical health, and social health.
Dr. Mike is also an actively practicing Board Certified Family Medicine doctor and serves as a primary care physician at Chatham (N.J.) Family Medicine. He is a media personality, educator, writer, and philanthropist with over 25 million social media followers.
Personal Life
Dr. Mike is known for his philanthropic efforts and has donated to various charitable causes. He continues to provide medical-related tips and tricks to his viewers through his social media platforms.
Social Media Presence
