I was born in White Plains, New York in 1939 but grew up in Pleasantville.

Did you attend public school?

Yes, I did. But I did not attend Hebrew school, as it was not a Jewish community. After high school I attended Dartmouth College on a scholarship.

Talk a little about your family.

My father was born in Ukraine and came to the US at the age of three. He was an auto mechanic. At first, he and his brother owned a gas station, and then he opened his own auto garage. My mother was a housewife and later on worked as a secretary in the editorial office of Reader’s Digest.

Any siblings?

My older sister passed away. She was a therapist, with a PhD in psychology. Marilynn, my younger sister lives in the UK and is a retired
English teacher.

Let’s continue to discuss your education.

I graduated from Dartmouth College undergraduate in three years and enrolled in their 2-year medical school. I then transferred to Harvard Medical School, from which I received my medical degree. My internship and residency in internal medicine were at Duke University. This was followed by a two-year fellowship in cardiology.

Would you say that you lived in an upper middle class neighborhood?

No. Definitely middle class. We did not have much money. I helped out in the garage working with my father. I also caddied for many years. I became a decent golfer and scored a “hole in one” at age 17.

How did you meet your wife?

I met Joan on a blind date in my freshman year. She attended Skidmore and later transferred to Boston University. We got married during my first year in medical school and recently celebrated our 64th year wedding anniversary.

Joan grew up in Tenafly, New Jersey. She not only raised our three children, but has been my lifelong partner in editing and overseeing the writings of my novels and managing editor of my medical journals.

Tell me about your children.

Debra is our eldest. She created a new company, Venice Estate Sales and Gallery and resides in Venice, Florida. We are fortunate to see her quite often. Jeffrey is our middle child and has two children. He lives in Indianapolis and practices law. David, our youngest, also lives in Indianapolis and has three daughters. He is a pediatric hospitalist. The two brothers meet weekly for lunch.

Seems like you have a close relationship with your children.

We really do, and it is so heartwarming that our entire family is close. We like spending time with each other.

Please lay out the career path you took after leaving Duke University.

I served two years in the Navy at Portsmouth Naval Hospital as a lieutenant. My entire medical career after training was at Indiana University Medical Center, where I retired as the head of cardiology.

This interview writeup does not allow me more than a few pages. You provided me with a CV with the following list of accomplishments
● President of 7 organizations.
● Editor of 7 cardiology journals
● Published over 1000 medical articles
● Published 16 textbooks
● Wrote 6 novels
● Over 50 awards
● Fellow of at least 11 societies.
The list goes on and is too long for this interview. I am curious to know why you wrote a 239-page memoir? And of all the accolades, which are you most are proud of?

My grandmother emigrated from the Ukraine at age 23 with two young children to join her husband in the US. She never shared the hardships she had traveling and living in the US. I regretted that. I wanted my family to know about my life. Therefore, I wrote the memoir. I most cherish the impact I’ve had helping patients live better and longer.

What motivated you to become a doctor?

I always wanted to help people. I loved biology and solving problems. Choosing medicine also meant that being a doctor generated financial stability and respect.

I was pleased to see your involvement in Jewish causes.

I founded the Friends of Israel Heart Society to fight antisemitism in academic circles.

In addition, I began an annual conference of cardiologists from many of the middle east countries to share medical information and thus promote a mutual respect beyond political and geographic lines. The conference still continues.

In your memoir I read that you, as an avid lover of opera and loaned the Indianapolis Opera money to help them out. Did you ever get repaid?

Yes, always as soon as they had the money.

Do your novels refer to your medical and/or Jewish background?

Some do. They are all different. I consider writing fiction as a lie that tells the truth. I can discuss important themes facing us today in the form of a story, such as antisemitism, terrorists, AI, and others.

How did you end up in Naples?

A wealthy patient invited us to stay at his Naple’s home during several winters, and we fell in love with the area. We live in Bonita Bay and plan to move to Moorings in 15 months. 

What is a typical day for you?

I usually get up around 7:30 AM. I then read and answer emails and do some writing on my latest novel. I still write a health column for the Saturday Evening Post. After a quick breakfast I go to the fitness center for approximately one hour.

I like to play croquet and bocce.

How often do you eat out, and what are some of your favorite restaurants?

Joan and I eat out regularly. Petar’s and C Level Bistro are two of our favorites.

What are some of the MCA activities you participate in?

I give lectures on my novels, cardiology, attend the luncheons, and participate in shooting, coed bocce and various other activities.

This interview has been a challenge. Seldom have I met someone with so many personal, professional and academic achievements. It just seems that you have squeezed every possible achievement that is out there. But I will tell you that what is most admirable is your modesty. You are a person who has and continues to help others. Your dedication to fighting antisemitism and bringing some peace and understanding among physicians in the middle east is noted. In short, you are a mensch. It is obvious that you have given future cardiologists knowledge and inspiration.

Thank you.

……..

MCA members come from all over the US and the world, from a variety of careers, arrive in the Naples area for different reasons, and many volunteer to give back to their communities.

Men’s Cultural Alliance: MCA is an affinity group of Jewish Federation of Greater Naples, fostering camaraderie among intellectually curious, physically active, socially engaged men.

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I find such antiquities fascinating. Of similar interest is Petra, capital of the Nabataean Arabs around the sixth century B.C, and center of the spice trade. It lies in Wada Araba, a valley in Jordan running from the Dead Sea to the Aqaba Gulf. Its entrance is a crack in a sheer rock wall barely large enough to squeeze through, like saying Open Sesame, and crossing into another world beyond. Magnificent buildings, rose-colored edifices intricately sculpted into the sandstone cliffs, are incredible. They served as the backdrop for the 1989 movie, Indiana Jones and The Last Crusade, and the final chapters of my novel The Black Widows, during which the hero, Zach Dayan, chases the leader of a terrorist group before he commits an incredible act of sabotage.

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The Indiana University School of Medicine’s weekly publication interviewed Dr Zipes, who is better known on campus for his pioneering in implementing pacemaker technology.

Doug Zipes gives a candid account of how he went about writing his first novel ‘The Black Widows’ and how despite a love of the written word, this was not to be as simple as he had first thought.

“It turns out that it’s not that easy”, recounts Doug, adding “Although I had written and published well over 800 medical articles and multiple textbooks, writing fiction is an entirely different challenge. I had to totally re-learn how to write in the genre.”

Read the article in full here.

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“On behalf of Elsevier and PracticeUpdate, we’d like to send special congratulations to the editor-in-chief of PracticeUpdate Cardiology, Dr. Douglas Zipes, Distinguished Professor, Professor Emeritus of Medicine, Pharmacology and Toxicology, Emeritus Director of the Division of Cardiology and Krannert Institute of Cardiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, for the recognition bestowed on him by the European Society of Cardiology as one of this year’s recipients of the 2013 ESC Gold Medal Award.

Dr. Zipes is one of “who’s who” in American cardiology research. Among many accomplishments in his career, he invented the first implantable transvenous cardioverter, has served as president of the American College of Cardiology, chairman of the American Board of Internal Medicine, and President of the Heart Rhythm Society. In addition to publishing more than 800 scholarly articles, Dr. Zipes also held positions as editor-in-chief of HeartRhythm and editor of Braunwald’s Heart Disease. (read more about Dr. Zipes profile)

“I am thrilled that my colleagues from “across the pond” have given me this award,” said Dr. Zipes. “I feel the cardiology community is like family, despite the turmoil in the world, and that we come together for the benefit of our patients. To be recognized by the ESC with its Gold Medal Award is one of the highest fulfillments in my career. And to share it with my friend and colleague of over 30 years, Evegeny Chazov, made it even more special.”

But to know Doug Zipes, one has to consider his passion of fiction writing. So far he has two novels under his belt; the Black Widows and Ripples in Opperman’s Pond. And recently he’s become a strong advocate for the safe use of tasers, training law enforcement on their proper use to prevent taser-induced cardiac arrest.”

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Following the death of 18 year old graffiti artist Israel Hernandez-Llach, who was shot in the chest with a Taser, there are renewed doubts surrounding the safety of the devices.

The series of cases published last year EXPLORED the cardiac arrests of eight healthy men and subsequent death of seven, following shocks from Tasers.

Read more about the death of Israel Hernandez-Llach, the implications of the affects of Tasers on the heart and Doug Zipes’ comment here.

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INDIANAPOLIS – This summer, world-renowned cardiologist and distinguished Indiana University professor Doug Zipes gives audiences a look inside the world of big-money medicine with his second book, “Ripples in Opperman’s Pond” (published by iUniverse).

“‘Ripples in Opperman’s Pond’ is a story for the world we live in today,” says Zipes, who also authored the 2011 book “The Black Widows.” “From greed and deceit at the expense of others to the power and fallibility of the American justice system, this novel is an exploration of the issues we face in modern society.”

Complete with NBA superstars, high-stakes legal proceedings, a sinister Russian scientist and twin brothers whose careers and lives become more and more dramatically intertwined, “Ripples in Opperman’s Pond” is a palpable thriller.

“Ripples in Opperman’s Pond” has been selected for inclusion in the iUniverse Rising Star program, which recognizes excellence in writing and overall potential.

‘Ripples in Opperman’s Pond’ is the second novel from Doug Zipes:

“Ripples in Opperman’s Pond”
By Doug Zipes
Hardcover | 6 x 9 in | 288 pages | ISBN 9781475975369
Softcover | 6 x 9 in | 288 pages | ISBN 9781475975352
E-Book | ISBN 9781475975376
Available at Amazon and Barnes & Noble

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“I am telling President Bill Clinton about my novel, The Black Widows.”

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