✦ Celebrity stories, facts and career updates. Explore F4U now →

Home › Biography › Dr Mike Varshavski

Dr Mike Varshavski biographyFeatured Biography

Image source: StarsUnfolded

Celebrities

Dr Mike Varshavski Biography: Age, Career, Family and More

F4U Editorial Desk • Updated September 29, 2026 • 6 min read

Quick Info

Date of birth12 November 1989

Age34 Years

BirthplaceSaransk, USSR (now Russia)

ProfessionInternet personality, Osteopathic physician, Amateur boxer

NationalityRussian-American

Marital statusUnmarried

FamilyFather - Oskar Varshavski; Mother - deceased (mathematician); Sister - Dasha Varshavski

Dr Mike Varshavski Biography

Russian-American physician, internet personality, and amateur boxer known as Doctor Mike. Rose to prominence through social media, YouTube medical content,

Early life and background
Mikhail "Mike" Varshavski was born on November 12, 1989, in Saransk, then part of the Soviet Union. He and his family moved to Brooklyn, New York, when he was six years old due to concerns about rising anti-Jewish crime in their home country. Growing up in the United States, he faced language and cultural challenges, arriving in school speaking only a few English words. His mother, who was a mathematician and ethnic Russian, died of leukemia during his early college years. His father, Oskar Varshavski, is a physician. He has an older sister, Dasha Varshavski, who is a doctor and entrepreneur.

Career
Varshavski completed his undergraduate and medical training at the New York Institute of Technology, earning a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. He served as a resident physician at the Atlantic Health System beginning in June 2014 and later worked there as an attending physician starting in February 2018. In 2018 he was also employed as a primary care physician at Chatham Family Medicine in New Jersey.

Alongside clinical work, Varshavski has developed a substantial public profile as an internet personality and creator. He launched his YouTube channel, Doctor Mike, in 2016 to explain medical topics, answer audience questions, and produce lighter content such as meme reviews. His channel has grown to millions of subscribers, and in March 2020 he conducted an interview with Anthony Fauci for his channel. He has also appeared on national television programs and on podcasts to discuss health and medicine.

Varshavski founded Limitless Tomorrow in 2015, a nonprofit that provided scholarships for students pursuing higher education. During the COVID-19 pandemic he donated personal protective equipment to frontline workers, including N95 masks valued at $50,000. He has participated in other charitable efforts, including a fundraiser that contributed more than $100,000 to Feeding America through a campaign organized by another creator.

Public profile
A 2015 BuzzFeed piece calling attention to his looks and his dog helped accelerate Varshavski’s social media following. He maintains active accounts on Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn, and uses those platforms to provide medical information and to show aspects of life outside medicine. His social media presence has earned him several industry recognitions: Webby Awards in categories including Education & Discovery and Health & Fitness in 2020, a Streamy Award for Health and Wellness in 2021, and a Webby People’s Choice Best Influencer award in 2022.

Varshavski has pursued activities outside medicine as well. He holds a black belt in taekwondo and has trained as an amateur and exhibition boxer. He made his exhibition boxing debut on May 14, 2022, defeating YouTuber iDubbbz and pledged his match earnings to Ukraine relief. On October 29, 2022, he fought his first professional boxing match against Chris Avila and lost by unanimous decision. He has taken part in celebrity sporting events such as the Brooklyn Nets’ annual celebrity game and has expressed a passion for basketball and tennis.

Other professional and public engagements include serving as president of D. M. Operations in 2016, delivering a TEDx talk in Monte Carlo in 2017, and speaking at Columbia University in April 2016. In June 2020 he was named an ambassador for the United Nations "Verified" initiative. He has also flown in a USAF F-16 and sells branded merchandise through his official Doctor Mike website.

Personal notes and public incidents
Varshavski is often open about aspects of his background and lifestyle: he is Russian-American by nationality, practices Judaism, and speaks both Russian and English. He has been public about his family’s early financial struggles after immigrating. He keeps pets, including an Alaskan husky named Roxy and a Newfoundland named Bear. He has a tattoo reading "Nosce te ipsum" on his upper back, holds a leadership degree from MIT Sloan’s programs, and has listed non-medical interests such as cars and travel.

In November 2020 he faced criticism after photos surfaced of him attending a birthday party in Miami during the COVID-19 pandemic; he later apologized and stated he should have behaved differently. Other public incidents reported in media include the theft of his Lamborghini Urus in June 2022 by a parking garage employee who took the vehicle for several hours.

Latest updates
Varshavski continued to be active across media and philanthropy into 2022 and beyond. In June 2021 he flew in an F-16, and in June 2022 he supported large charitable donations and was involved in publicized events including boxing and celebrity sports. On February 5, 2024, he and a teammate set a Guinness World Record for the most alternate fist bumps (397) in 30 seconds for a two-person team.

Varshavski remains a practicing physician while maintaining a high-profile presence online and in philanthropic work, blending clinical practice with media, public speaking, and athletic pursuits.
◈

Recent Work

YouTube channel: Doctor Mike

Medical education and Q&A videos, interviews (including Anthony Fauci), and general audience content.

2016–present
Exhibition boxing match vs. iDubbbz

Exhibition fight on May 14, 2022; Varshavski won and donated his match earnings to Ukraine Crisis Relief Fund.

2022
Professional boxing match vs. Chris Avila

First professional bout on October 29, 2022; lost by unanimous decision.

2022
✦

Career Highlights

  1. Founder of Limitless Tomorrow scholarship initiative
  2. Multiple Webby Awards and a Streamy Award for health and influencer work (2020–2022)
  3. Interviewed Anthony Fauci on his YouTube channel
  4. TEDx speaker in Monte Carlo (2017)
  5. Set a Guinness World Record for most alternate fist bumps (team of two) in 30 seconds (2024)
?

Frequently Asked Questions

When was Dr Mike Varshavski born?

12 November 1989

What is Dr Mike Varshavski known for?

Internet personality, Osteopathic physician, Amateur boxer

What is Dr Mike Varshavski’s marital status?

Unmarried