The Reason Dr. Lisa Masterson Left “The Doctors” Show

Dr. Lisa Masterson is one of the most recognizable doctors on the planet.

She became a household name on the Emmy award-winning show “The Doctors” because of her way of explaining even the most complicated medical concepts with ease.

Due to her extraordinary achievements in the medical field, Lisa had always been in the limelight.

She has been on “The Oprah Winfrey Show,” “Good Morning America,” and “Dr. Phil,” among many others. Lisa specializes in gynecology, obstetrics, adolescent gynecology, infertility, and family planning. 

She went to Mount Holyoke College in Massachusetts to do her undergrad studies and then completed her medical studies at the University Of Southern California in 1993. 

Her main practice is on the East Coast near Huntington Beach, but the woman goes to even the most remote places when it comes to helping expecting mothers with pregnancy issues. Not just that, she is so capable that she has even performed a C-Section live on Discovery Channel!

Born For Glory

In Lisa’s biographical book “Paper Dollhouse,” she went into great detail about what inspired her to become one of the best in her field. It was her mother. 

Paper Dollhouse: The Story Of My Mother, Her Strength And Sacrifices, And My Journey To Become A Doctor

Her mother was truly the wind beneath her wings, and one of the main reasons Lisa is always researching to find more answers. 

When Lisa was in the second year of medical school, her mother got diagnosed with breast cancer. The doctors had told her that she only had one year left to live. Upon listening to this, Lisa requested she and her thirteen-year younger brother move in with her. At the time, she had just gotten married and had her son Daniel. 

She opened up about that whole ordeal on “The Doctors” show:

“That’s one of my biggest disappointments in life. I’d give anything if that never happened. I was told when she had about a year left. So when I got that information, she moved in with us. And when my mother passed, my husband and I tried to raise my brother.”

To this day, she said that was the toughest time of her life, as she was a doctor herself but couldn’t do anything to keep her mother alive. Lisa is known for handling multiple things at once, so being helpless must have been devastating.

Her “real-life training” started before she became a huge name in her field. It started when her mother passed, and she took in her brother. She was in residency, taking care of her infant child, an ailing mother, and a brother who had just started to get rebellious.

Dr. Lisa

No wonder she has turned out to be a superhuman that everyone admires today. When her mother passed, for a while, she just stopped functioning. She stopped eating and went to a very dark place.

Lisa’s mother always told her to “Follow Her Dreams.” She was a huge influence. After losing her, Lisa felt lost until she started going out there and truly realized the power of her profession.

When Masterson was not herself anymore after her mother’s death, it was her son who snapped her out of it. He said he needed his mother now, and that sense of responsibility she inherited from her mother got her back into the routine again. 

She could only cope with her own loss when she worked on saving someone else’s life. Her life took on a new meaning, which was to save lives and raise awareness about women’s issues, especially in areas where basic medical facilities are non-existent.

Leaving The Show And Moving On

Dr. Lisa’s exit from the show came as a shock to the fans. They loved her for her personality and wisdom. For five years, she was one of the most knowledgeable people on American television. 

Soon rumors started circulating about what went on behind the scenes, which apparently made Lisa leave the show. 

The answer was simple. Lisa left the show because she had plans to do bigger things. She wanted to focus more on her practice as her patients were her first priority. 

The show required a big investment of her time. Two days were required for the taping alone. While she may not have been a regular on the show anymore, she now frequently appeared on it as a guest. Her appearance in the season after her exit got an amazing response from the audience.

She went on many humanitarian missions when she was associated with the show; the most notable example was when the team of doctors visited Haiti. 

Haiti had just experienced a terrible earthquake, and the doctors from the panel went there on a joined mission.

All the six doctors had to share one room as there was no accommodation arrangement in that area. Dr. Lisa especially focused on expecting mothers and worked tirelessly to make sure their lives and those of their babies were safe.

Apart from getting more time to practice, Lisa always wanted to delve deeper into researching eastern and American medicine. She felt this was the perfect time to look at medical teachings from different backgrounds with an unbiased mind.

She believes it would be best to merge them to get the best results as it could create an advanced branch of medicine. 

Her Life Besides “The Doctors” Show

Lisa is a great doctor and a people person, which means she wouldn’t have just gone into hiding after leaving the show. 

As much as Lisa appreciated the viewer’s unwavering attention, this was her time to move on. Even today, on the 13th season of the show, people still ask questions about her guest appearance. 

They feel she is the most reliable when it comes to relaying medical news or giving competent advice in these unprecedented times. She has also appeared in many discussions about COVID-19 in CBS News and ABC news.

She is now working even harder by taking on many patients and doing a lot of charitable work. Her fans would be happy to know that she is also keeping in touch by hosting a very successful podcast, “Heath in Heels with Dr. Lisa.”

If there is one thing Lisa is truly passionate about, it’s helping others through every means possible. She has talked numerous times about changing the way people perceive the medical profession. She practices a unique method which is not something people would expect in a traditional gynecological practice. 

Lisa believes that’s where the future lies. She has worked to merge gynecology and aesthetic services, which she provides at her Ocean Oasis Medical Spa. The unique thing about this spa is evaluating women’s needs and then recommending the perfect spa with effective exercise and dietary plans. 

When she is not working in her clinic, Lisa is often busy conducting seminars about multiple health issues she cares about. 

She has even participated in seminars focusing on adolescent sexuality, targeting both children and parents. For a more detailed guide, she has even written a book titled “Go Figure” for young girls who are still figuring out who they are.

Her dedication to her profession knows no boundaries; she has been actively providing medical aid in areas that are most deprived of basic medical facilities. 

Her organization “Maternal-Fetal Care” works tirelessly to ensure the health of women and their newborns are well taken care of. 

This organization works more exclusively in remote areas in Africa and India; it has some amazing physicians on board who take care of women until they are completely well. 

The transmission of HIV/AIDS is very common from mother to child in such regions. This is Dr. Lisa’s life mission: to provide outstanding medical facilities in areas where the mortality rate is too high due to complications at childbirth.

Lisa has built birthing centers in areas like India and Kenya, where women will get the privacy and medical assistance they need.

Most people who go to Africa only work in the well-known regions, but Dr. Masterson has gone beyond and became the first OB/GYN residency program in Eritrea. In her area, Lisa has joined hands to found the “Mobile Mom Squad”

This program is for underprivileged mothers or expecting mothers who have little to no help from anywhere else. They offer educational interactions, prenatal exams, blood tests, blood pressure checks, counseling, and even their resources.