John F. Lazar, MD

John F. Lazar, MD is a board certified thoracic surgeon serving as the Chief of Thoracic Surgery and Oncology at Ascension Saint Thomas in Nashville, Tennessee. As one of the first dedicated fellowship-trained thoracic robotic surgeons in the world, Dr. Lazar has a clinical interest in building the thoracic surgery program, with a comprehensive emphasis on the patient's individual experience at the hospital.

Specializing in areas such as, malignant and benign diseases of the lung, the esophagus, the mediastinum, the trachea, and the bony structures of the chest wall, Dr. Lazar's expertise extends to cutting-edge techniques including laparoscopic, video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS), robotic and open surgical techniques for the treatment of thoracic conditions. Some of the surgeries he performs are robotic esophagectomy, mediastinal resections, hiatal hernia repair, tracheal repair and resection, and complex robotic lung preserving resections. Dr. Lazar and his team are one of the only teams in the world that robotically treat tracheobronchial malacia, a condition that causes difficulty breathing due to airway collapse.

With an unwavering commitment to his profession, Dr. Lazar is board-certified in thoracic and cardiac surgery by the American Board of Thoracic Surgery, an American surgical organization devoted to surgery of the chest. He is also a member of the Society of Thoracic Surgeons and the Society of Robotic Surgery, as well as serves on the Executive Board of both the Eastern Cardiothoracic Surgical Society. Dr. Lazar has been the recipient of numerous awards, including being recognized as a Top Doc for the last 6 years and given the opportunity to present his research across the country for international conferences and organizations throughout the years.

Beyond his medical endeavors, Dr. Lazar enjoys salt and freshwater fly fishing, traveling and cooking Sunday dinner for his family.