History, Future and Family Are Jefferson Connected for Anthony Carrato, MD

Philadelphia is hardwired in Anthony Carrato, MD, a vascular and general surgeon with LVPG Surgery-Health & Wellness Center, Hazle Township. While he was born and raised in Hazleton, once he left home for college as a chemistry and pre-med student at St. Joseph’s University, the die was cast. From there, tailgating at Eagles’ games, strolling through the Italian Market and getting cheesesteaks at Geno’s were a way of life. And when it came time to choose medical school, there was only one on Dr. Carrato’s radar.

“I wanted to stay in Philadelphia, and I wanted to go to the premier medical school in the city,” he says. “Jefferson is simply the best, both clinically and academically.”

From the day he began studying at Jefferson, Dr. Carrato’s love of medicine, anatomy and helping others blossomed. He recounts great relationships with the instructors and his fellow students as well as incredibly educational moments in patient care and surgery. “It was hard work and long hours, but the experiences I had working with the surgeons there were just so meaningful. It’s a phenomenal program. Jefferson is always on the leading edge and doing new things.”

After graduating, and then completing a five-year residency in general surgery at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital, Dr. Carrato enthusiastically began his 25-plus-year career. In the meantime, he got married and had five children – three of whom were born at Jefferson. Then he received an offer he couldn’t refuse.

The offer was to practice medicine back home. He considered the options but, in the end, the value of being able to make a difference in underserved Luzerne County won out. He returned to Hazleton where he worked at a practice before establishing an independent practice of his own, which he maintained for 10 years. In 2014, Lehigh Valley Health Network (LVHN) merged with the hospital in Hazleton and opened the door for another great opportunity.

“Once the local hospital became part of LVHN, I was excited by what that partnership meant for the community,” Dr. Carrato says. “It brought more opportunities into the area, excellent backup for complex cases and the ability to refer regardless of what condition I’d encounter with a patient. I saw all this as extremely positive and joined LVH–Hazleton in 2019.”

While his career flourished, Dr. Carrato’s oldest daughter, Angela Myers, followed in her father’s footsteps with a Jefferson education. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing at Jefferson in 2014, and then started her nursing career at Lehigh Valley Hospital (LVH)–Cedar Crest as a critical care nurse. A few years later, she returned to Jefferson, this time to earn her DNP-Nurse Anesthesia degree. Upon completion, she went to work at LVH–Cedar Crest. She is especially excited by the educational opportunities that the recent collaboration with Jefferson brings.

“While Jefferson is synonymous with a premier medical school education, in addition to medicine and nursing, it has esteemed programs educating every member of the care team,” she says.

When Dr. Carrato was a child, he liked fixing things. This intense drive to make things better is what has inspired him to excellence as a surgeon. “There’s immense gratification in ‘fixing the problem’ and seeing patients feel better,” he says. “If a patient has a hernia and I repair it, they feel better right away. That makes me feel great.”

Dr. Carrato says that, more than anything, providing excellent care for his patients has always been his No. 1 priority. And now with the added strength and resources that have come with the merger of LVHN and Jefferson, the opportunities are even broader.

“Being part of Jefferson opens up more options for care,” he says. “There are more clinicians, which means more expert care and even more access to leading-edge research and clinical trials.”