Eric L. Lazar, MD

What are some of the specific conditions you treat?

I treat all general/oncologic/thoracic surgical conditions that occur in children from newborns to age 21. This includes all congenital anomalies such as tracheo-esophageal fistula, diaphragmatic hernia, bowel atresias, patent ductus arteriosis, Hirschsprung's Disease, and acute conditions such as necrotizing enterocolitis. In addition, I treat all acute emergency conditions that arise in children such as pyloric stenosis, intussusception, appendicitis, and bowel obstruction. I care for conditions in the chest such as lung anomalies (CPAM), empyema, pneumothorax, pectus excavatum, and pectus carinatum as well as all childhood solid tumors (Wilms' tumor, neuroblastoma, and hepatoblastoma.) I repair hernias of all types. I work closely with your pediatrician and your panel of specialists to help in a team approach to complex problems such as Crohn's Disease, Ulcerative Colitis, and cancers such as leukemia, lymphoma, and thyroid masses. We also treat congenital disorders in the neck and evaluate all masses, cysts, and sinus tracts. Pediatric Surgeons are also the equivalent of a gynecologist for girls up through the age of menses or thereafter, and we treat ovarian tumors and torsion.

What techniques or procedures do you use in your practice?

We attempt at all times to minimize tests and radiation exposure. Many of the things that we treat can be diagnosed by an experienced clinician without ionizing radiation. We are committed to minimal access techniques where applicable and are always conscious of the pain or discomfort that could be caused by office procedures, so we avoid doing anything that could hurt the trust between the physician and the child.

Describe some of your professional highlights.

I currently serve on the Board of Governors of the American College of Surgeons, a national organization that is deeply committed to patient safety and satisfaction. I am the immediate past president of that organization's New Jersey Chapter. I have been a teacher of surgery and a pediatric surgeon for 28 years and have written multiple articles and book chapters establishing expertise in a wide variety of conditions in children. I have been on the New Jersey Top Doctors roster continuously since 2006.

What would you like patients to know about your approach to care?

The techniques that we use in surgery today mean that your child need not be restricted from those activities that enhance their lives during recovery. Most children can return to normal bathing and showering and normal sports and club activities in hours to days after surgery rather than weeks. We try to make the experience of having surgery no more than a minor inconvenience and try our best to take the stress out of the experience.

What inspired you to become a doctor?

When a child is sick, the entire family is affected. I became a doctor and a children's specialist because I want to shield children from the fear and uncertainty that accompany surgical illness. If they can make it through, the whole family benefits. My job is to cure when I can, but to care always.

Yeung, A., Dankner, L., Quiros, J.A., Lazar, E., Li, L., Walker, K., and Chokhavatia, S. (2026) Trusting your gut: A hairy situation – gastric trichobezoar case report. Frontiers in Pediatrics, 14. https://doi.org/10.3389/fped.2026.1748583