Dr. David Langer Is One of Four Doctors Featured on Netflix's 'Lenox Hill'

Netflix's new medical documentary series spotlights one of New York City's hospitals: the Upper East Side's Lenox Hill, in an eight-episode show by the same name.

Lenox Hill shows the excitement and the stress of everyday life at the hospital, and is especially poignant considering all the tireless work being done at hospitals during the current COVID-19 pandemic. 

The docuseries looks at four doctors, one of whom is David Langer, the chair of Lenox Hill's neurosurgery department. Keep reading for everything you need to know about David.

Dr. David Langer is the chair of Lenox Hill's neurosurgery department, a department he founded after being recruited as director of neurosurgery in 2013. He's also a professor of neurosurgery and radiology at the Donald and Barbara Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra/Northwell.

The third-generation physician has been recognized as a Top Doctor and Best Doctor by numerous publications, and has developed a project "focused on the use of social networking technology and video to enhance the patient experience" called Playback Health, which is likened to "a Snapchat and Instagram for healthcare."

The award-winning surgeon has made several appearances on CNN, FOX, ABC, and CBS, and has been featured on The New York Times and The Wall Street Journal, and is committed to practicing "Mindful Moments" regularly before each surgery.

Before each neurosurgical procedure at Lenox Hill, Dr. Langer and his team take a moment to learn about the person behind the patient, which according to the surgeon, helps everyone become more present and emotionally invested in the procedure. 

"It's the humanity of your own patient that matters," says one doctor in the trailer for the series.

"So, this is a 55-year-old guy," David tells his team ahead of surgery. "Unfortunately he had a stroke about a year ago." 

The surgeon's aim is to remind everyone that they're "taking care of a person with a family, with goals and a career, and you know, children, grandchildren."

"It gives us a feeling of oneness," he says of the mindfulness practice. "And I think the staff feels more a part of what we're doing." David explains that briefing his team about the person behind the patient helps the doctors remember "what really is most important" about treating the human being, adding that the doctors "know that if it was us, we'd want it done that way."

"We have to set the standard for how this is done," David says of the five most important minutes of brain surgery focused on seeing the person behind the patient. "We're going to go beyond just the expectation and I think that hopefully feeds and spreads outside of the operating room to the way we all treat each other and I think that's critical to being successful right now."

There seems to be no better moment than this one to watch this inspiring series about the doctors at the frontline.

Stream Lenox Hill on Netflix, Wednesday, June 10.