Tony was born in the ancient city of Kutaisi, Georgia on the banks of the Rioni River flowing from the Caucus Mountains in the north to the Black Sea in the south. He grew up among a large loving family, fiercely proud of their Georgian Jewish roots, living in the home of Tony's babushka. When he was 8, Tony made his first big move to Moscow where he quickly picked up the Russian language and a hatred of cold weather. At the age of 12, he and his family made the fateful move to Queens, NY where most still live today. It was here Tony learned to speak, haggle, and--most terrifyingly--drive like a New Yorker. On his first day at Forest Hills Junior High, he made some of the best friends of his life after they kindly pointed out he had been sitting in the wrong classroom all day (in Tony's defense, he didn't yet know a word of English). Following high school he completed training as a physician assistant at St. John's University, where he formed close bonds with friends who are now practicing all over the city. After approximately one week working as a surgical PA at Mount Sinai, several surgeons concluded what it took Tony another 3 years to realize: he needed to go to medical school. And that he did at the one and only Downstate University in Brooklyn, NY, where several more friendships grew. And on March 21, 2014 he opened an envelope to learn he would be doing his internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Laura was born and raised in the small town of Jasper, AL, a place she deeply loves and will always consider home. It was here she developed a love for okra and grits from her grandmother's kitchen, the beach and sunny outdoors, and drawing out her words just a little bit longer than most. Laura has always considered her hometown friends as sisters and is so grateful for her time in Alabama watching them grow into beautiful wives, mothers and professionals. At the University of Alabama, Laura studied Spanish and Philosophy and learned a passion for world travel. Her semesters in Oxford, England and Alcala, Spain and her time in Xalapa, Costa Rica, Honduras and Egypt left her with some of the greatest friends of her life, as well as--to her parents' great relief after a lot of uncertainty--a decision to become a physician. She continued at the University of Alabama (UAB) for medical school where she experienced the rather unpleasant transition from studying Kant to studying the Kreb cycle, but she got through it with the help of some kindred spirits. And on March 21, 2014 she opened an envelope to learn she would be doing her internship at Memorial Sloan Kettering.

Tony and Laura met on the first day of orientation at MSK, where they both thought the other had quite a funny accent (it would turn out Tony held the majority opinion). They lived, worked, and breathed cancer care that year with their co-interns, some of the most accomplished, brilliant and fun people they had ever met. They formed fast friends, but it wasn't until they were teamed up as the sole caregivers of patients on the 18th floor that a truly strong bond formed. Before the rotation was over they realized even 15 hours a day together wasn't enough, and a long distance relationship was born. Tony went on to train as a dermatologist at Downstate University in Brooklyn and Laura a radiation oncologist at UAB in Birmingham. Notwithstanding the intermittent tears shed over flight cancellations, their relationship grew stronger as they discovered more about one another and their homes and families. On another fateful match day, Tony learned he would be completing his fellowship in Mohs micrographic surgery in Birmingham, putting an end to flight rage. Tony and Laura are both due to finish their medical training in July 2019 and will be returning to New York to (finally!) begin their careers.