Gregory C. Lukaszewicz, MD ’90
My interest in joining the Alumni Council stems from both gratitude and concern. Since retiring from clinical practice in 2024, I find myself reflecting upon my time at Harvard Medical School and how HMS now faces unprecedented challenges that did not exist when I was a student. HMS gave me the foundation for a fulfilling career in medicine, and I have consistently supported the school through donations and active participation in alumni events. But we are living in an era when educational institutions such as HMS are under assault. As a first-generation Polish-American, I carry the stories of my family’s wartime and immigrant experiences, which frame my understanding of the challenges we face today.
I believe I can contribute meaningfully to the Alumni Council in several ways. First, I am passionate about supporting our future physicians and medical leaders, as I was supported when at HMS. Second, I am committed to fundraising efforts that will ensure HMS continues to attract brilliant, diverse minds and provide them with the resources they need to succeed. Third, my experience in organized medicine and my commitment to staying informed about both current events and history position me to engage thoughtfully in discussions about how HMS should respond to external pressures while remaining true to its mission.
As a member of the Class of 1990, my connection to HMS has been a defining thread throughout my career, and I have tried to embody the values HMS instilled in me: intellectual rigor, compassionate care, and a commitment to the greater good. I would be honored to bring the same dedication to service to the Alumni Council, working alongside fellow alumni to ensure that Harvard Medical School remains a leader in excellence, integrity, and progress in medical education, patient care, and research.
Gregory C. Lukaszewicz, MD ’90,graduated from Dartmouth College with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Russian area studies and political science in 1986. Despite this unusual educational background, he was fortunate to attend Harvard Medical School, where he spent an additional year pursuing wound healing research at Shriners Children’s Hospital in Boston before graduating in 1991. Following medical school, Lukaszewicz completed a traditional five-year general surgery residency at Massachusetts General Hospital, which included an additional two years of basic science research with Wiley Souba, MD, SD ’84, MBA, investigating the role of glutamine metabolism in trauma and sepsis. He then pursued a two-year vascular surgery fellowship at the University of California, San Francisco.
Inspired by the incredibly dedicated clinicians who taught him at HMS, Lukaszewicz joined The Permanente Medical Group in Northern California in 2000 as a vascular surgeon covering the San Francisco Bay area, which gave him the opportunity to provide care to patients without the bureaucratic and financial constraints of the modern, insurance-based medical system. After approximately eight years performing primarily arterial surgery, he transitioned his practice to focus exclusively on venous and lymphatic disorders and wound care, driven in large part by his family’s needs. While this change proved advantageous personally, it also presented both a major challenge and opportunity professionally, as lymphedema and lymphatic disorders remain largely underappreciated by both the general public and the medical community, and have very limited treatment options available. Despite these challenges, he developed a regional, team-based practice caring for patients from throughout Northern California within the Kaiser Permanente system. In addition to his clinical practice, Lukaszewicz served as a San Mateo County representative to the House of Delegates of the California Medical Association and served two terms as president of the San Mateo County Medical Association.
Lukaszewicz retired from The Permanente Medical Group in 2024 after 24 years in practice and joined his wife in Santa Barbara, California, where she had been recruited several years before his retirement to start a neurosurgical brain tumor and epilepsy program. He has spent his first year of retirement working on renovating his home, gardening, horseback riding, fly fishing, sailing, reading, and hiking, and is looking forward to finding a new set of professional challenges. Lukaszewicz’s transition from his busy clinical practice has also given him the time and perspective to consider how he can best serve and pay back the institution that launched his medical career.