Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center Welcomes Otolaryngologist and Thoracic Surgeon to Advanced Lung & Airway Center

Syed Shahzad Razi, MD, FACS, board-certified, fellowship trained thoracic surgeon, and Robert S. Lebovics, MD, FACS, leading otolaryngologist, will further advance care and services for patients with breathing disorders.

Hackensack Meridian JFK University Medical Center announced today the appointment of two renowned experts in diseases of the lungs and trachea to its team of physician leaders at the Advanced Lung & Airway Center. The Center, which treats patients with both cancerous and non-cancerous conditions that affect breathing, welcomed Syed Shahzad Razi, MD, FACS, a board-certified, fellowship-trained thoracic surgeon, and Robert S. Lebovics, MD, FACS, a leading otolaryngologist and academic researcher with expertise in infectious and inflammatory disorders.

“We are delighted to welcome Dr. Razi and Dr. Lebovics to our team of experts at JFK University Medical Center who treat patients with breathing disorders,” said Faiz Y. Bhora, MD, FACS, Professor and Regional Chair of Surgery, Central Region, Hackensack Meridian Health and Hackensack Meridian School of Medicine, who leads the Advanced Lung & Airway Center. “These outstanding clinical leaders, both of whom have extensive knowledge and many years of experience, will help us further advance care for lung and airway disorders, which are often complex and require comprehensive evaluation and specialized procedures.” I have been privileged to have been part of Dr. Razi’s early training and have worked with Dr. Lebovics for over a decade, and HMHN is fortunate to recruit these outstanding clinicians. They will be part of a Department of Surgery that is regionally recognized for the breath and quality of surgical services that we provide.  

“I am honored to be part of the JFK team that is devoted to diseases of the lung and airway,” said Dr. Lebovics.  “There are many forms of airway diseases that include cancerous and non-cancerous disorders of the windpipes that affect speech and breathing. These diseases that are often misdiagnosed as other lung conditions such as asthma, chronic bronchitis or emphysema. An accurate diagnosis is essential to ensure proper and timely treatment with a personalized care plan for each patient.”

“I look forward to applying my experience in thoracic surgery to help patients being treated at the Advanced Lung & Airway Center at JFKUMC as well as Raritan Bay Medical Center and Old Bridge Medical Center,” said Dr. Razi.  “Sometimes breathing disorders are caused by prolonged intubation, tracheostomy or auto-immune disorders.  Cancers include tumors of the lung and esophagus and can also be caused by tumors from other regions of the body to the lungs.  I am proud to be part of the team at JFKUMC which has the experience and expertise to  diagnose and manage these complex conditions.” 

“We are thrilled to have Dr. Razi and Dr. Lebovics join our team of surgeons at JFK University Medical Center,” said Amie Thornton, president, chief hospital executive, JFK University Medical Center.  “This is another example of how our patients in the community can receive the top care close to home.”

Syed Shahzad Razi, MD, FACS
Dr. Syed Shahzad Razi has extensive experience in surgeries of the airway, chest wall, diaphragm, esophagus and stomach, lung, mediastinum (area between the lungs), and pleura (tissue that covers the lungs and lines the chest cavity), as well as in robotic surgery. He is Board Certified by the American Board of Surgery and the American Board of Thoracic Surgery. He completed his Thoracic Surgery Fellowship at Jackson Memorial Hospital / University of Miami Hospital, Miami, FL, and his General Surgery Residency at Bronx-Lebanon Hospital Center, Bronx, NY. He also completed a General Surgery Internship at the University of Connecticut Medical Center, Farmington, CT. He earned his Medical Degree from Sindh Medical College, Karachi, Pakistan. Prior to joining Hackensack Meridian Health, Dr. Razi served as an attending thoracic surgeon at Memorial Healthcare System in Florida. Dr. Razi has extensive volunteer, research, and editorial experience in thoracic surgery and in subjects relating to the respiratory and foregut system (esophagus to duodenum). Additionally, Dr. Razi has experience as a medical student mentor at Florida International University.

Robert S. Lebovics, MD, FACS
Dr. Robert S. Lebovics is an internationally known otolaryngologist (specialist in surgical and medical management of conditions of the head and neck) with expertise in infectious and inflammatory disorders of both adults and children. He focuses on autoimmune and inflammatory diseases affecting the upper airways and head and neck region. He employs endoscopic techniques in the OR for repair of the larynx, trachea and large bronchi, using balloons, cryotherapy, and injections, as well as implanting stents for both benign and malignant disease. He received his medical degree from the State University of New York Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, and completed otolaryngology training at the Albert Einstein/Montefiore Hospital Medical Center in the Bronx, NY. For almost nine years after his residency, Dr. Lebovics was Chief of the Clinical Otolaryngology Service at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland, where he worked with the National Institute of Deafness and Communication Disorders. At NIH he interfaced in the medical frontiers of gene therapy, immunotoxins for treating head and neck cancer, and techniques of surgical rehabilitation for both the larynx/trachea and the sinonasal tract. Concurrently Dr. Lebovics maintained a faculty appointment at Georgetown University where he regularly lectured and taught new physicians. Dr. Lebovics joined the hospital service that later became the Mount Sinai West (MSW) and Mount Sinai-St. Luke’s (MSSL) Hospitals.

He is a member of various medical organizations, including being a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons and a Fellow of the American Academy of Otolaryngology - Head and Neck Surgery. He served for two years as the Secretary/Treasurer and later president of the New York Laryngological Society, and currently serves as a police surgeon for the NYPD. He is also on the Medical Advisory Board for the Vasculitis Foundation based in Kansas City.