{"id":848,"date":"2023-09-19T09:35:17","date_gmt":"2023-09-19T13:35:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?page_id=848"},"modified":"2025-12-02T20:10:07","modified_gmt":"2025-12-03T01:10:07","slug":"dr-avi-lebenthal","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/treatment\/doctors\/dr-avi-lebenthal\/","title":{"rendered":"Dr. Abraham &#8220;Avi&#8221; Lebenthal"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>About Dr. Avi Lebenthal<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Abraham \u201cAvi\u201d Lebenthal is a thoracic surgical oncologist specializing in <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/pleural\/\">pleural mesothelioma<\/a> treatment and research for civilians and veterans.<\/p>\n<p>As a veteran of the Israeli Army, Dr. Lebenthal is one of the few mesothelioma experts who specifically treat veterans. He spent 13 years working in various divisions of the Israeli Army, four of which were as a battalion physician. He is uniquely compassionate about veterans&#8217; needs and veteran care.<\/p>\n<blockquote><p>\u201cI have a deep admiration and respect for those who served in the military. One of the things you learn is: &#8216;There is no such thing as \u2018I can\u2019t.\u2019 You learn to take responsibility and ownership. And you better have precise execution. It\u2019s the same in medicine.\u201d<br \/>\n\u2013 Dr. Avi Lebenthal, mesothelioma specialist<\/p><\/blockquote>\n<p>Dr. Lebenthal currently resides in Israel, serving as thoracic section chief at Assuta Medical Center in Ashdod.<\/p>\n<p>Use our <strong>Free Doctor Match<\/strong> to find top mesothelioma specialists in your area who can help improve your prognosis.<\/p>\n<div id=\"25223\" class=\"one-off-25223 widget widget_oscar-vque one-off\" data-vqueid=\"25223\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-style=\"one-off\">.one-off-25223{margin:60px auto}.one-off-25223 a{box-shadow:0 4px 4px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.25);display:block;background:#e4f4f6;padding:20px 25px 200px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;position:relative;overflow:hidden;max-width:360px;margin:0 auto}.one-off-25223 a::before{background:#0FAEBF;border-radius:50% 50% 0 0;content:'';position:absolute;bottom:0;height:19%;width:135%;left:-60px;z-index:0}.one-off-25223 .vque-content,.one-off-25223 .image-wrap{z-index:1;position:relative}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap{width:100%;position:absolute;left:-10px;bottom:-15px}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap img{position:absolute;bottom:0;width:100%;max-width:unset;left:0}.one-off-25223 .heading{font-size:27px;line-height:33px;text-align:center;display:block;max-width:340px;margin:5px auto 25px}.one-off-25223 ul{list-style:none;margin:-10px auto 22px;text-align:left;font-size:16px;line-height:26px}.one-off-25223 ul li{margin:0 0 15px;position:relative;padding-left:35px}.one-off-25223 ul li::before{font-family:\"mesohope\"!important;speak:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-transform:none;line-height:1;content:\"\\e904\";background:#0FAEBF;width:21px;height:21px;display:block;position:absolute;left:0;top:4px;border-radius:50%;color:#fff;font-size:11px;text-align:center;line-height:21px}.one-off-25223 p{text-align:center}.one-off-25223 .button{padding:12px 16px;display:block}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.one-off-25223 a{max-width:620px;padding:30px 30px 35px;border-radius:0 0 4px 4px}.one-off-25223 a::before{border-radius:50%;height:155%;width:150%;right:-550px;left:unset;bottom:-295px}.one-off-25223 .heading{text-align:left;margin:2px 0 25px;max-width:unset;font-size:24px}.one-off-25223 ul{margin:-7px 0 30px;max-width:365px;line-height:23px}.one-off-25223 ul li::before{top:1px}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap{max-width:unset;position:absolute;right:-25px;bottom:-35px;margin:0 0 -2px;left:unset;width:380px}.one-off-25223 .image-wrap img{position:relative;bottom:0;left:0;width:380px}.one-off-25223 .button{display:inline-block;padding:14px 25px}.one-off-25223 p{text-align:left}}@media screen and (min-width:1150px){.one-off-25223 a{padding:30px}}<\/style><a href=\"\/get-matched\/\" title=\"Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor\" class=\"cte\" data-ce-category=\"In-Content Ads\" data-ce-label=\"Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor Ad\"><div>\r\n    <div class=\"vque-content\">\r\n        <strong class=\"heading\">Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor<\/strong>\r\n        <ul>\r\n            <li>Find top specialists near you<\/li>\r\n            <li>Seek compensation for travel & care<\/li>\r\n            <li>Get medical guidance<\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <p><strong class=\"button arrow\" title=\"Get Matched Now\">Get Matched Now<\/strong><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/07\/Doctors-ad.png\" alt=\"Get Matched With a Mesothelioma Doctor\" class=\"lazyload\" ><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"medical-specializations\">Dr. Lebenthal&#8217;s Professional Background<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Abraham Lebenthal was born in Israel and raised in the United States. He speaks Arabic, English, Hebrew, and Spanish. He earned his medical degree from Hadassah Medical School at Hebrew University in Israel.<\/p>\n<p>After completing training and fellowships in the United States, Dr. Lebenthal and a medical team from <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/cancer-centers\/brigham-womens-hospital\/\">Brigham and Women\u2019s Hospital (BWH)<\/a> in Boston, Massachusetts, traveled to the Hebrew University Medical School to perform and teach Israeli surgeons the minimally invasive surgical techniques the team had developed and perfected together.<\/p>\n<h2 id=\"career-accomplishments\">Career Accomplishments<\/h2>\n<p><strong>Some of Dr. Lebenthal&#8217;s career accomplishments include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Educating the next generation of medical care professionals<\/li>\n<li>Improving mesothelioma treatment access for veterans<\/li>\n<li>Pursuing fellowships in minimally invasive procedures and cardiothoracic surgery<\/li>\n<li>Teaching groundbreaking techniques to Israeli surgeons<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3>Awards &amp; Honors<\/h3>\n<p><strong>Dr. Lebenthal has received many awards throughout his career, including:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Compassionate Doctors<\/li>\n<li>Golden Heart Award #1<\/li>\n<li>Golden Heart Award #2<\/li>\n<li>Golden Heart Award #3<\/li>\n<li>Patients Choice Award \u2013 2008 &amp; 2009<\/li>\n<li>Letter of Distinction for Bravery (Israeli Army)<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2 id=\"medical-specializations\">Dr. Lebenthal&#8217;s Medical Specialties<\/h2>\n<p>Dr. Lebenthal is a board-certified thoracic surgeon focusing solely on thoracic conditions, including <a href=\"\/cancer\/lung-cancer\/\">lung cancer<\/a>, mesothelioma, and esophageal diseases.<\/p>\n<p>His subspecialties include minimally invasive thoracic surgery, thoracic surgical oncology, and trauma surgery. He also has experience treating hernia management, rib fractures, and lung neoplasms.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Lebenthal has developed and refined surgical procedures using video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery (VATS) technology. VATS allows surgeons to have increased visibility inside the thoracic cavity when they would otherwise be limited in their ability to access certain areas of the thorax.<\/p>\n<p>VATS surgeries are especially important for mesothelioma patients who may not be able to withstand a full thoracotomy (open chest surgery). VATS also helps reduce the risk of surgical complications in mesothelioma patients and improves recovery times.<\/p>\n<p>Get insight into questions to ask Dr. Lebenthal or another mesothelioma specialist during your initial visit by downloading our <strong>Free Checklist: Questions to Ask Your Doctor<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<div data-vqueid=\"18575\" class=\"widget widget_oscar-vque outline image-left has-img\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-style=\"outline\">.widget_oscar-vque.outline{margin:60px auto;max-width:315px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline:first-child{margin-top:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a{border:1px solid #E6E7EC;padding:20px;box-shadow:0 20px 20px rgba(34,34,34,0.03);border-radius:10px;color:#383441;display:block;text-decoration:none}.widget_oscar-vque.outline img{margin:0 auto 20px;max-width:180px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline .vque-content{color:#383441;font-size:16px;text-align:center}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.subheading{color:#100134;display:block;line-height:1;font-size:14px;margin-bottom:5px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.heading{color:#100134;font-size:20px;display:block;margin:0 0 20px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul{font-size:16px;text-align:left;list-style:none;max-width:265px;margin:15px auto 25px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul li{padding-left:28px;margin-bottom:10px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul li:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul li:before{font-family:\"mesohope\" !important;font-display:swap;speak:none;color:#fff;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-transform:none;line-height:1;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;content:\"\\e904\";border:none;position:absolute;left:0;top:3px;background:#0FAEBF;width:20px;height:20px;border-radius:20px;line-height:20px;text-align:center;font-size:12px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.button.arrow{width:100%}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a{position:relative;border-radius:0 10px 10px 0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a:before{content:\" \";position:absolute;top:0;bottom:0;width:4px;height:100%;left:0;background:linear-gradient(180deg, #0FAEBF 0%, #fff 100%)}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.widget_oscar-vque.outline{max-width:620px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline img{max-width:100%}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a{padding:0}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a>div{display:block;display:flex;flex-wrap:wrap;align-items:flex-end;flex-direction:row-reverse}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a>div>div{width:41%}.widget_oscar-vque.outline>a .vque-content{width:59%;padding:30px;text-align:left}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.subheading{font-size:16px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.heading{font-size:24px;margin:0 0 13px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline ul{max-width:none}.widget_oscar-vque.outline strong.button.arrow{width:auto}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div{display:block;position:relative;overflow:hidden}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div>div{float:left}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div>div:first-child{width:27%;padding:30px}.widget_oscar-vque.outline.image-left>a>div>div.vque-content{width:73%;padding-left:0;color:#383441}}<\/style><a href=\"\/doctor-questions\/\" title=\"Free Download: 14 Questions to Ask\u00a0Your Doctor\" class=\"cte\" data-ce-category=\"In-Content Ads\" data-ce-label=\"Free Download: 14 Questions to Ask\u00a0Your Doctor Ad\" data-desktop-image=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/questions-to-ask-doctor-ipad.png\"><div><div><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"95\" height=\"144\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/05\/questions-to-ask-doctor-ipad.png\" class=\"attachment-Medium size-Medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"14 Questions to Ask Your Doctor packet\" \/><\/div><div class=\"vque-content\"><strong class=\"heading\">Free Download: 14 Questions to Ask\u00a0Your Doctor<\/strong><ul>\n<li>Preparing for treatment<\/li>\n<li>Finding clinical trials<\/li>\n<li>Getting a second opinion<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong class=\"button yellow arrow\" title=\"Get Your Free Download\">Get Your Free Download<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h3>Pleural Mesothelioma<\/h3>\n<p>One of the specializations that Dr. Lebenthal is most well-known for is his ability to treat <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/pleural\/\">pleural mesothelioma,<\/a>\u00a0a rare and complex disease treated by few specialists.<\/p>\n<p>Dr. Lebenthal focuses on thoracic oncological surgeries. He trained at Brigham and Women&#8217;s Hospital under <a href=\"\/treatment\/doctors\/dr-david-sugarbaker\/\">the late Dr. David Sugarbaker<\/a>, where he learned how to perform the <a href=\"\/treatment\/surgery\/extrapleural-pneumonectomy\/\">extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP)<\/a>, a highly technical and complex surgery for pleural mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<p>In addition to EPP, Dr. Lebenthal is skilled in treating mesothelioma patients with lung-saving surgery called <a href=\"\/treatment\/surgery\/pleurectomy-decortication\/\">pleurectomy with decortication (P\/D)<\/a>.<\/p>\n<h3>Treating Veterans With Mesothelioma<\/h3>\n<p>As one of only a few mesothelioma specialists within the United States VA Healthcare System before his relocation to Israel in 2020, Dr. Lebenthal was an incredible asset to <a href=\"\/veterans\/\">veterans with mesothelioma<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>He served as Director of Minimally Invasive Thoracic Surgery for the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/cancer-centers\/boston-va\/\">VA Boston Healthcare System<\/a> from 2010 to 2020.<\/p>\n<p>As an Israeli military veteran, Dr. Lebenthal was deeply empathetic toward the challenges that veterans experience, particularly their struggles following a <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/diagnosis\/\">mesothelioma diagnosis<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Being deeply devoted to improving quality, affordable, and accessible healthcare for veterans, Dr. Lebenthal and his team implemented a telephone triage system for veterans experiencing mesothelioma symptoms.<\/p>\n<p>In the experiment, Dr. Lebenthal and his team assessed the feasibility of a national phone system allowing veterans to call and describe their symptoms to access <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/veterans\/va-benefits\/va-healthcare\/\">VA health care<\/a> faster. This triaging phone program for veterans allows VA health administrators to connect patients with specialists sooner.<\/p>\n<div data-vqueid=\"1361\" class=\"widget widget_oscar-vque default image-right has-img\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-style=\"default\">.widget_oscar-vque.default{margin:60px auto;max-width:315px}.widget_oscar-vque.default:first-child{margin-top:0}.widget_oscar-vque.default:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.default>a{background:#2F293D;display:block;padding:20px;border-radius:10px;color:#fff;text-decoration:none}.widget_oscar-vque.default img{margin:0 auto 20px;max-width:150px;width:100%}.widget_oscar-vque.default .vque-content{font-size:16px;text-align:center}.widget_oscar-vque.default strong.subheading{display:block;line-height:1;font-size:14px;margin-bottom:5px}.widget_oscar-vque.default strong.heading{font-size:20px;display:block;margin:0 0 25px}.widget_oscar-vque.default ul{font-size:16px;text-align:left;list-style:none;max-width:265px;line-height:1.4;margin:15px auto 25px}.widget_oscar-vque.default ul li{padding-left:28px;margin-bottom:10px}.widget_oscar-vque.default ul li:last-child{margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.default ul li:before{font-family:\"mesohope\" !important;font-display:swap;speak:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-transform:none;line-height:1;-webkit-font-smoothing:antialiased;-moz-osx-font-smoothing:grayscale;content:\"\\e904\";border:none;position:absolute;left:0;top:0;background:#0FAEBF;width:20px;height:20px;border-radius:20px;line-height:20px;text-align:center;font-size:12px}.widget_oscar-vque.default strong.button.arrow{width:100%}@media screen and (min-width: 768px){.widget_oscar-vque.default{max-width:620px}.widget_oscar-vque.default>a{padding:0}.widget_oscar-vque.default>a>div{display:block;display:flex;align-items:center;flex-wrap:wrap;flex-direction:row-reverse}.widget_oscar-vque.default>a>div>div{padding:0 25px 0 0;width:41%}.widget_oscar-vque.default>a .vque-content{width:59%;padding:30px;text-align:left}.widget_oscar-vque.default img{max-width:90%;margin-bottom:0}.widget_oscar-vque.default strong.subheading{font-size:16px}.widget_oscar-vque.default strong.heading{font-size:24px;margin:0 0 16px}.widget_oscar-vque.default ul{max-width:none}.widget_oscar-vque.default strong.button.arrow{width:auto}.widget_oscar-vque.default.image-left>a>div{display:block;position:relative;overflow:hidden}.widget_oscar-vque.default.image-left>a>div img{max-width:100%}.widget_oscar-vque.default.image-left>a>div>div{float:left}.widget_oscar-vque.default.image-left>a>div>div:first-child{width:27%;padding:30px}.widget_oscar-vque.default.image-left>a>div>div.vque-content{width:73%;padding-left:0}}<\/style><a href=\"\/mesothelioma-guide\/\" title=\"Get Your Free 2026 Mesothelioma Guide\" class=\"cte\" data-ce-category=\"In-Content Ads\" data-ce-label=\"Get Your Free 2026 Mesothelioma Guide Ad\" data-desktop-image=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/guide-image-vertical.png\"><div><div><div class=\"image-fade\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"296\" height=\"290\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/guide-image-vertical.png\" class=\"attachment-Medium size-Medium wp-post-image\" alt=\"Mesothelioma Guide Images\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/guide-image-vertical.png 296w, https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/guide-image-vertical-55x55.png 55w, https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/07\/guide-image-vertical-102x100.png 102w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 296px) 100vw, 296px\" \/><\/div><\/div><div class=\"vque-content\"><strong class=\"heading\">Get Your Free 2026 Mesothelioma Guide<\/strong><ul>\n<li>Symptoms &amp; staging<\/li>\n<li>Average prognosis<\/li>\n<li>Life-extending treatments<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong class=\"button arrow\" title=\"Get Your Free Guide\">Get Your Free Guide<\/strong><\/p><\/div><\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h2 id=\"dr-lebenthals-legacy\">Find Other Specialists Like Dr. Avi Lebenthal<\/h2>\n<p>A highly respected surgeon with over 20 years of experience, Dr. Lebenthal spent much of his career helping patients diagnosed with mesothelioma in the United States.<\/p>\n<p>As a recipient of the Compassionate Doctors Award and a three-time winner of the Golden Heart Award, Dr. Lebenthal is also recognized for the considerable kindness and humanity he displays toward his patients.<\/p>\n<p>To find other top mesothelioma doctors like Dr. Lebenthal in your area, try using our <a href=\"\/get-matched\/\"><strong>Free Doctor Match<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>About Dr. Avi Lebenthal Dr. Abraham \u201cAvi\u201d Lebenthal is a thoracic surgical oncologist specializing in pleural mesothelioma treatment and research for civilians and veterans. As a veteran of the Israeli Army, Dr. Lebenthal is one of the few mesothelioma experts who specifically treat veterans. He spent 13 years working in various divisions of the Israeli&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":49,"featured_media":1439,"parent":49,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"templates\/template-doctor.php","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-848","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/848","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/49"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=848"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/848\/revisions"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/49"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=848"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}