Douglas P. Zipes MD

Douglas P. Zipes was born in White Plains, NY and grew up in Pleasantville, NY, graduating Pleasantville High School (‘57.) He graduated Dartmouth College (BA’61), Dartmouth Medical School (BMSc’62) and Harvard Medical School (MD’64), and trained at Duke University Medical Center in medicine (’64-’66) and cardiology (’66-’68). After two years in the US Navy (’68-’70) and a year sabbatical performing basic science research (’70-’71), he moved to­ Indiana University in 1971, became Professor of Medicine in 1976, Distinguished Professor in 1994, and Director of Cardiology and the Krannert Institute of Cardiology from 1995 to 2004.

He is past president of: Indianapolis Citizen’s Academy of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI); Indianapolis Opera; Cardiac Electrophysiology Society; Association of University Cardiologists; Heart Rhythm Society; American College of Cardiology; and past chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine.

He is founding editor of: the Journal of Cardiovascular Electrophysiology, Cardiology in Review, Contemporary Treatments in Cardiology, Heart Rhythm, and PracticeUpdate/Cardiology. He is past editor of Progress in Cardiology, and present editor of Trends in Cardiovascular Medicine and Practice Update Cardiology, which has 93,000 subscribers. He has published almost 1000 medical articles and 16 textbooks with multiple editions.

Awards include: Distinguished Achievement Award, Herrick Award, and Cor Vitae Award from the American Heart Association; Distinguished Scientist Award from both the Heart Rhythm Society and the American College of Cardiology; “Sagamore of the Wabash,” highest honor for an Indiana citizen from the Indiana governor; tribute about him read into the U.S. Congressional Record by the Hon. Baron P. Hill, House of Representatives; Distinguished Alumnus Award, Duke University Medical Alumni Association; Presidential Citation, American College of Cardiology; President’s Medal, Indiana University; President’s Award, Heart Rhythm Society; Gold Medal, European Society of Cardiology; Pioneer in Pacing and Electrophysiology, Heart Rhythm Society; Distinguished Career Achievement Award, Dartmouth (Geisel) Medical School; Career Achievement Award, Maestro Distinguido, CADECI; Gold Medal German Cardiac Society; Distinguished Achievement Award, European Cardiac Arrhythmia Society; Indiana University Bicentennial Medal; J.O. Ritchey Society Award, Indiana University School of Medicine; and Indiana American College of Cardiology Career Achievement Award.

He is a fellow of: Heart Rhythm Society, American Heart Association, European Society of Cardiology; Master of the American College of Physicians and American College of Cardiology; he is a member of the American Society for Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians; and Honorary Member of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand, Argentine Society of Cardiology, Hungarian Society of Cardiology and Israel Heart Society.

Endowed are: Douglas P. Zipes Research Prize, and the Joan and Douglas Zipes 1961 Scholarship Fund, Dartmouth Medical School; Zipes Medtronic Chair in Cardiology, Indiana University School of Medicine; Joan and Douglas Zipes Visiting Professorship, and Joan and Douglas Zipes Scholarship, Indiana University School of Medicine; Douglas P. Zipes, MD Lectureship, and the Joan and Douglas Zipes Publication of the Year Award, Heart Rhythm S Society; Douglas P. Zipes, MD Distinguished Young Scientist Award, American College of Cardiology; and Douglas P. and M. Joan Zipes Scholarship at Harvard Medical School.

He writes a bi-weekly health column for the Saturday Evening Post and is on its editorial board. He has published a short story, Stolen Hearts; a travel story, Into Africa; and 5 novels: The Black Widows, Ripples in Opperman’s Pond, Not Just a Game, Bear’s Promise and Ari’s Spoon; and a memoir Damn the Naysayers. He has been married to Joan for 62 years, has three children and five grandchildren.