The biggest misconception about doctors is that everyone assumes they’re immeasurably wealthy. While they are well-paid, it takes most doctors years of hard work in their profession to make a significant amount of money thanks to the fact that they graduate with so many student loans and debts. Most doctors are paid nicely, but it also takes time most doctors to perfect their craft, earn a solid reputation and work their way up into the big leagues. Read on to find out who the richest doctors in the world are in various degrees of medicine.
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Dr. Paul Nassif – $14 million
Dr. Paul Nassif is a Beverly Hills plastic surgeon with a famous face. His is famous because he was married to one of the wealthiest women in the country, Adrienne Maloof of the Maloof name. He spent several seasons appearing beside his estranged wife on the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills. He’s also been a regular on Dr. 90210. His specialty is rhinoplasty, and he’s one of the most popular doctors in Beverly Hills. Women who want their noses done come straight to Dr. Nassif because of his flawless and ingenious medical techniques.
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Dr. Mehmet Oz – $14 million
Dr. Oz is a television personality that rose to fame after many appearances on the Oprah Winfrey Show. His real role in life is as a cardiothoracic surgeon, but he’s also a host, author and television personality. At the beginning of the century, he accepted a job offer from Columbia University as a professor in the prestigious school’s department of surgery. His past job history also includes the title of director at the New York Presbyterian Hospital’s Cardiovascular Institute. He’s credited with writing more than 400 medical papers, books and patented works throughout his long career.
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Dr. Garth Fisher – $15 Million
Dr. Garth Fisher obtained his medical degree from The University of Mississippi and conducted his residency at the University of California. He was married for many years to former Dancing with the Stars co-host Brooke Burke, as well as famous baseball player Jose Canseco’s ex-wife, and he’s one of the most famous plastic surgeons in Hollywood. He was the plastic surgeon on ABC’s Extreme Makeover, and he is the doctor to many of the world’s wealthiest and most famous people. His Beverly Hills office specializes in plastic surgery that includes cosmetic and bodily surgery.
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Dr. Robert Rey – $15 million
Born in Sao Paulo, Brazil, Dr. Robert Rey earned his doctorate from the Tufts University School of Medicine. He also holds a masters degree from Harvard and has attended some of the most prestigious colleges in the US. He is a famous plastic surgeon in Beverly Hills and he’s made more than 100 appearances on more than 60 different television programs. His most recognizable appearance is from his time on the hit reality television show Dr. 90210 in which he starred with several other plastic surgeons around Beverly Hills.
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Dr. Leonard Hochstein – $20 million
There’s something to be said about the husbands of Real Housewives. Dr. Lenny Hochstein is a Miami-based plastic surgeon married to a Real Housewife of Miami, Lisa Hochstein. He’s one of the most prestigious plastic surgeons in all of Miami, with more than 15 years in the practice. He was born in Russia and attended school in the United States. In his long career, he’s performed more than 10,000 aesthetic surgeries on both men and women in Miami. People travel from all over the country for his services.
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Dr. Terry Dubrow – $30 million
Most people recognize Dr. Dubrow from his appearances on the Real Housewives of Orange County alongside his wife, Heather Dubrow. Dr. Dubrow is one of the most famous plastic surgeons in all of Orange County, with a waiting list at least 6 months long for patients who are looking for a little personal improvement. His fame began to grow during his residency at UCLA and when FOX approached him to do a reality television show called The Swan, in which he would improve the look of unattractive women, turning them into complete beauties, he became even more famous.
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Dr. James Andrews – $100 million
He’s an orthopedic surgeon at Andrews sports medicine and Orthopaedic Center. Dr. James Andrews is the team doctor for the Redskins in Washington, and he’s famous for his work on some of the most famous, most talented athletes in the world. Any athlete in need of any type of surgery calls Dr. James Andrews for a consultation to ensure he or she receives the best quality health care available. He’s also the team doctor for NCAA teams such as Auburn and Alabama. His famous clients include Michael Jordan, Reggie Bush, Bo Jackson and even Troy Aikman.
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Dr. Phil McGraw – $245 million
There is no rule that says there’s only one kind of doctor in the world. Having a doctorate makes anyone worthy of the title, “Doctor,” and Dr. Phil McGraw is a psychologist. It might not involve surgery or medical tools other than a notebook and recorder, but he’s still a doctor. Dr. Phil is also one of the wealthiest doctors in the world, with a net worth more than $245 million. He rose to success thanks to his many appearances on Oprah Winfrey’s television show, his own talk show shortly after that and his books and appearances.
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John Brown – $1.2 billion
He’s not technically a doctor either, but he inherited his wealth from a doctor and he works in the medical industry. He has a master’s degree from Auburn University and he is the CEO of Stryker Corporation, a medical device company started by Dr. Homer Stryker in the mid 1900s. Dr. Home Stryker was a surgeon. After his death, the CEO position of the company went to John Brown, who now runs one of the largest medical companies in the entire world, making him one of the wealthiest men in medicine, despite his missing doctorate.
Dr. Gary Michelson – $1.4 billion
He’s listed as number 328 on Forbes’ billionaires list. Dr. Michelson earned his MD from Hahnemann Medical College after graduating from Temple University. Much of his fortune comes from a settlement he won in 2005. Dr. Michelson has more than 250 patents on medical devices, and he sued Medtronic over their unpermitted use of his spinal surgery patents several years ago, which resulted in a payment of $1.35 billion to the doctor. He uses his money wisely, however, creating awards for scientific medical breakthroughs and donating it to medical research.
Dr. Randall Kirk – $2.4 billion
He’s 190th on Forbes’ billionaires list. Dr. Kirk received his doctorate from the University of Virginia and has been in business for himself for three decades. While he doesn’t practice medicine in a hospital, Dr. Kirk uses his medical degree in business. He opened his own pharmaceutical company in 1984 and has been earning his billions there. General Injectables & Vaccines was his first pharmaceutical company. He sold the company after 14 years and opened New River Pharmaceuticals and King Pharmaceuticals in the meantime.
Dr. Philip Frost $2.4 billion
He’s tied with Dr. Randall Kirk for 190th place on the Forbes list of billionaires. This doctor received his MD from Albert Einstein’s College of Medicine. He graduated with his doctorate, but did not use it in medicine. He taught dermatology before he decided to take over a position at Key Pharmaceuticals developing generic brands and veterinary medications. He then founded a company called Ivax, sold it for almost $8 billion and now sits as a chairman on the board of Teva Pharmaceuticals. He makes the rest of his money as a stockholder for several major medical companies across the world.
Ronda Stryker – $2.5 billion
She’s not technically a doctor. However, she does have a master’s degree from Western Michigan University and she is only a billionaire because of her grandfather, Dr. Homer Stryker. Dr. Stryker founded Stryker Corporation in the 1940s, turning it into a huge publicly traded company in the 1970s, just a few years before his death. He was a surgeon looking to meet his patient’s needs with medical devices he later patented. Had he lived just a few more years, he’s granddaughter’s $2.5 billion fortune would be his own, since she inherited his share in the company.
Dr. Thomas Frist, Jr. – $4 billion
With a doctorate from Washington University and the 92nd slot on the world’s billionaires list produced by Forbes, Dr. Thomas Frist, Jr. is not doing too badly for himself. The medical doctor worked alongside his father in the late 1960s to found Hospital Corporation of America. He is the group’s biggest shareholder. The company earns approximately $29.7 billion each year, buying and selling hospitals. The company stands to make even more money in the coming year as they have several big contracts out with additional hospitals.
Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong – $7.3 billion
He’s the 47th richest billionaire on Forbes annual list of billionaires across the world. Dr. Soon-Shiong is a medical genius. He graduated high school at 16 and obtained his medical degree at the tender age of 23 from the University of Witwatersrand. He does not work in the hospital, per say. He founded two major pharmaceutical companies after graduating, both American Pharma Partners and Abraxis Bioscience. They sold in the past few years for a total of more than $8 million. His newest company is looking to link patient DNA to scientific research to provide doctors with additional patient information.