A Fellow of the American College of Obstetrics & Gynecology and a Diplomate of the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Dr. Laurence de Fazio was a graduate of St. John’s University in Queens, New York. He received his Doctorate in Medicine from the University of Naples in Naples, Italy, and completed his residency in Obstetrics & Gynecology at the Methodist Hospital in Brooklyn, New York.
Dr. Laurence de Fazio started his private practice in the basement of his parents’ house in the Dyker Heights section of Brooklyn in 1965. As a physician, there wasn’t anyone who worked harder or was more dedicated to his patients. He continued to make house-calls though this practice had fallen out of favor. His office phone was connected to his home so that he would be available for his patients at any hour of the day or night.
He would never say no to a patient who needed a last minute appointment; his office hours would frequently extend beyond midnight. In the operating room, he was known as a meticulous surgeon with an uncanny attention to detail, proper technique and perfection. He never turned away a patient no matter how difficult her surgery may have been. Over the years his practice flourished. He later added office locations in Park Slope and Staten Island, and was joined by his three sons, Mark, Gregory and Andrew.
Throughout his distinguished career, Dr. Laurence de Fazio served as the President of the Brooklyn Gynecologic Society, the President of the New York Methodist Hospital Alumni Association, and was the Chairman of the hospital’s Tissue Committee and By-laws Committee. He was honored at the hospital’s Candlelight Ball in 2005 where he received the Lewis S. Pilcher Award for distinguished and outstanding service by a physician to the hospital and the Brooklyn community. He was also very involved with the Archdiocese of New York. In 1994 he was appointed a Knight of Malta, and soon thereafter was also appointed a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
Dr. Laurence de Fazio retired in 2005 after a 45 year medical career as a clinician and teacher, during which he delivered over 10,000 babies and brought joy and happiness to countless families. He passed away on Palm Sunday, April 13th, 2014 at the age of 84.
