Doctor Mike

Mikhail Oskarovich "Mike" Varshavski (, ; born November12, 1989), known popularly as Doctor Mike, is a Soviet-born American family medicine physician, YouTuber, and internet personality. His Instagram account went viral after he was featured in BuzzFeed and People magazine named him The Sexiest Doctor Alive in 2015. He has a YouTube channel on which he posts medically themed entertainment videos and debunks false medical claims.

Early life Mikhail Oskarovich Varshavski was born on November12, 1989, in Saransk, Soviet Union, to an ethnically Russian mother and a father of Jewish origin. His father, Oskar, who was born in the Ukrainian SSR, worked as a physician after graduating from the Third Medical Institute of Moscow, while his mother, who was of Russian origin, was a mathematics professor. He has an older sister, Dasha, who was born in 1980. When he was five, he and his family immigrated to Brooklyn, New York.

Varshavski was given the nickname "Doctor Mike" during his high school years by friends who came to him for sports-related injuries. After seeing his father's relationship with his patients, he wanted to become a doctor. He enrolled in the New York Institute of Technology and was accepted for an accelerated, seven-year combined track for a bachelor's degree in life sciences and a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine upon completion of the undergraduate program. During his first year in the NYIT medical portion of the accelerated program, his mother died of leukemia, and he decided to move back in with his father. In 2014, he started a residency at the Atlantic Health System Overlook Medical Center's Family Medicine program, He uses his social media to provide health information.

Varshavski 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," that highlighted his appearance and relationship with his dog, a husky named Roxy. That November, People magazine named him, "the Sexiest Doctor Alive," in its Sexiest Man Alive issue, popularizing his Instagram account.

In 2018, after his residency, he joined Chatham Family Medicine, a family practice with Atlantic Health System, in Chatham, New Jersey.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Varshavski reconfigured his YouTube videos to answer people's questions about the virus. He debunked many of Judy Mikovits's claims about COVID-19 from the conspiracy film Plandemic. In March 2020, he interviewed Anthony Fauci, the director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID), about the pandemic.

Boxing career Varshavski made his amateur boxing debut in May 2022 against influencer iDubbbz as the headline fight in the Creator Clash boxing event. He won his match against iDubbbz in a unanimous decision. On 29 October 2022, in Glendale, Arizona, Varshavski made his professional debut in a four-round cruiserweight bout against former MMA fighter Chris Avila on the undercard of Jake Paul vs. Anderson Silva. He lost the fight via unanimous decision.

Racing In April 2026, Varshavski announced he would be competing in the 2026 Ferrari Challenge North America Club Challenge season.

YouTube channel health related podcast In September 2022, Varshavski launched a health related podcast on his YouTube channel named "The Checkup Podcast with Doctor Mike", which was renamed to "The Checkup with Doctor Mike". The podcast covers subjects related to sexual health, mental health, physical health, and social health. Varshavski has interviewed friends, medical professionals, athletes, comedians and actors. Guests have included Steve-O, KSI, Tony Hale, Dane Cook, Hannah Brown, Marques Brownlee, Steve Madden, Steven He, Barbara Corcoran, Kal Penn, Brandon Marshall, and Chuck Schumer.

Philanthropy In late 2015, Varshavski established a foundation, Limitless Tomorrow, to provide scholarships to students, and he has raised money for it by auctioning experiences with himself through his social media accounts. In January 2016, the dating app Coffee Meets Bagel collaborated in a $10 raffle for a date with Varshavski; the campaign raised $91,000 for his foundation.

In July 2019, Varshavski spread awareness for the humanitarian organization Save a Child's Heart by posting a photo with the organization's 5,000th patient while on a trip to Israel. In March 2020, he donated $50,000 worth of N95 masks in the face of shortages for medical personnel due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In late March 2022, Varshavski set up a donation to GlobalGiving for Ukrainian people during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. In July 2025, he donated $70,000 to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through a fundraiser organized by the same YouTuber.

Personal life In 2016, he and Filipina actress and 2015 Miss Universe Pia Wurtzbach met at a charity event in New York and started dating. He dated American television news reporter Jennifer Lahmers in 2017.

Political views In a May 2024 interview with podcaster Steven Bartlett, he claimed that he was "pro-capitalism".

Boxing record

Professional

Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes 1 Loss 0–1 Chris Avila 4Oct 29, 2022

Exhibition

Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes 1 W 1–0iDubbbz5May 14, 2022

TV appearances Year Title Role Notes 2016 Who Wants to Be a Millionaire? Himself Episode: "Hometown Heroes Week 5" 2017–2019 Today Himself 2 episodes 2017–2020 Opening Bell with Maria Bartiromo Himself 12 episodes 2017 Rachael Ray Himself Episode: "October 5, 2017" 2018–2020 Fox & Friends Himself 2 episodes Live with Kelly and Ryan Himself 2 episodes 2018 The Doctors Himself (guest, co-host) Episode: "January 17, 2018" 2019 Sidewalks Entertainment Himself (guest) Episode: "Doctor Mike" Cavuto: Coast to Coast Himself Episode: "March 5, 2019" Peston Himself (guest) Episode: "25 March 2020" 2020 Access Hollywood Himself Episode: "24.182" The Talk Himself Episode: "Wayne Brady/Jonathan Mangum/Dr. Mike"

Awards and nominations

Year Award Category Result 2018 Shorty Awards Health and Wellness 2019 Shorty Awards Breakout YouTuber of the Year 2020 Webby Awards Education & Discovery Health & Fitness 2021 Streamy Awards Health and Wellness 2022 Webby Awards Best Influencer (People's Choice)