Sergei Lapinel
Sergei Lapinel, MD
Attending Physician
NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur
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Beloved Physician Shines as a Beacon of Kindness and Care
Growing up, Dr. Sergei Lapinel remembers the love and respect his father inspired from his young patients as the head of student mental health at NYU. Something else that stuck with him was the motto on the NYU seal: Perstare et praestare – “to persevere and to excel.”
Dr. Lapinel is the embodiment of those ideals, never more so than now. Late in 2023, after feeling severe back pain while hiking in Italy, he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. But he confronted the news with characteristic resolve – determined to not only fight the cancer but to get back to taking care of his patients at NYC Health + Hospitals/Gouverneur’s skilled nursing facility. Last May, after six months of hospitalization, chemotherapy, radiation and ultimately immunotherapy, he returned to Gouverneur with the help of a rolling walker.
As a physician, Dr. Lapinel has been known for the personal connections he makes with his patients and the time he takes to guide them through what for many is an overwhelming medical journey. Now, as a doctor going through his own adversity, he says, “I’ve found that when you nourish other people, you nourish yourself.”
Dr. Sherry Humphrey, Gouverneur’s chief medical officer, has seen first-hand the impact that Dr. Lapinel has had. “Just last month, a patient remarked, ‘I have never had a doctor take so much time to answer all my questions and address all my fears and concerns,’ she said. “This sentiment isn’t an isolated occurrence – it’s a common refrain among those fortunate enough to be under his care. In an era where medical care often feels rushed and impersonal, Dr. Lapinel stands as a beacon of what healthcare should be.”
The challenges of the past year have only deepened his commitment. “I consider it a privilege to be invited into people’s lives,” Dr. Lapinel says. “I try to make them feel good about themselves, to encourage them to look for the best, not the worst. Sometimes you have to say, ‘Don’t mourn for things you’ve lost, be happy in the positive things you have.’ That’s what keeps you going.”