Dr. Marvin M. Lipman always wanted to be a doctor, in part because he greatly admired two of his uncles, both of whom were physicians. Despite this early admiration, and being named as a Healthcare Hero himself, Dr. Lipman doesn’t think doctors should be considered heroes. Board-certified in internal medicine and endocrinology, Dr. Lipman firmly believes that medical care should be patient-oriented, and says, “To some extent, doctors have fallen off their pedestals, and that’s a good thing. Patients should be knowledgeable about their healthcare. They should ask why medicines and procedures have been prescribed, instead of meekly following doctor’s orders.”
It was this interest in patient advocacy that led to Dr. Lipman’s 51-year tenure as chief medical advisor for Consumer Reports. During that time, he wrote more than 700 articles, enlightening readers on topics such as the safety and efficacy of over-the-counter drugs, what patients should expect during an office visit, and how to improve communication between patients and doctors.
Besides educating patients, Dr. Lipman also instructed the next generation of physicians as a professor of medicine at New York Medical College. He is section chief (emeritus) of medicine at White Plains Hospital and was chief of the endocrine sections at both White Plains Hospital and Westchester Medical Center. He has served as the president of the Westchester Academy of Medicine, was awarded the gold medal of the Alumni Association of the College of Physicians & Surgeons in 2008, and was named a Columbia University Alumni Medalist in 2013.
At 90 years of age, Dr. Lipman still sees patients every day at Scarsdale Medical Group. He has no plans to retire; in fact, he keeps a book titled Avoid Retirement and Stay Alive prominently displayed in his office. The bottom line for Dr. Lipman is, as he says, “I genuinely like to help people. It gives me great satisfaction to make a good diagnosis.”
Spoken like a true, if somewhat reluctant, hero.
