Robert I. Gluck, MD

Robert I. Gluck, MD, is a physician, retired hand and upper-extremity surgeon, microsurgeon, and medical educator based in New York. He is an orthopedic/hand surgeon and educator who has dedicated his career to patient care, clinical excellence, and the development of the next generation of healthcare professionals.

Over the course of a career spanning more than four decades, Dr. Gluck built a reputation as a skilled surgeon within the Northwell Health system, a thoughtful leader at Long Island Jewish Hospital, and ultimately a dedicated medical educator at Hofstra University. Today, he channels the experience he gained in the operating room and the clinic into teaching, mentorship, and advising students pursuing careers across medicine, PA, nursing, and allied health.

Dr. Gluck's career as a hand and upper-extremity surgeon spanned more than 25 years of active surgical practice. He spent over 25 years as a practicing hand and microvascular surgeon, treating patients at Long Island Jewish Hospital and other Northwell-affiliated facilities across the NY metro area. His practice covered the full spectrum of hand and upper-extremity conditions, from acute trauma to chronic degenerative disease.

The scope of his surgical work included treatment of fractures, tendon and nerve injuries, carpal tunnel syndrome, arthritis of the hand and wrist, shoulder and elbow disorders, and complex reconstructive procedures requiring microsurgical techniques. His published work in The Journal of Hand Surgery reflects the breadth of clinical problems he managed during his tenure.

Dr. Gluck received multiple "Top Doctor" recognitions in the New York Metro area, including designations by Castle Connolly and NY Magazine's "Best Doctors" lists during his time in practice.

After decades in the operating room, Dr. Gluck made a deliberate transition away from active surgical practice and toward full-time teaching, program development, and mentoring future healthcare professionals. This shift allowed him to bring real-world clinical experience — including years of managing complex surgical cases, leading a hospital service, and navigating the healthcare system — directly into the classroom.

Rather than stepping away from medicine entirely, he channeled his expertise into a new role as a medical educator. His evolving identity moved from that of a clinician whose primary impact was one patient at a time to an educator whose influence extends across entire cohorts of nursing, PA, and medical students. This career pivot ultimately led to faculty appointments at Hofstra University and an advisory role at MedTrack Mentors.

Dr. Gluck's academic interests extend well beyond the surgical conditions he once treated. He emphasizes lifestyle medicine and preventative care in his work, integrating these themes into his teaching for nursing, PA, and Honors College students. His courses encourage learners to think about how nutrition, physical activity, sleep, stress management, and environmental factors shape long-term health outcomes — not just for individual patients, but for entire communities.

He promotes a multidisciplinary approach to understanding health determinants, urging students to consider factors such as housing, income, education, community resources, and policy when thinking about patient care and population health.

MedTrack Mentors is a physician-led advising and mentorship service for students pursuing careers in medicine, PA, nursing, dental, and allied health. The organization provides personalized application strategy, essay feedback, interview preparation, school list development, and ongoing mentorship — all guided by physicians with direct admissions committee experience and clinical training.

Dr. Robert I. Gluck serves as Senior Advisor at MedTrack Mentors, bringing decades of clinical leadership and admissions committee experience to the organization's strategic direction. His role focuses on high-level guidance, curriculum input, and ensuring that the advising model reflects the values he has championed throughout his career: academic excellence, professionalism, empathy, and an understanding of how the healthcare system actually works.