Meet UNMC Distinguished Scientist Iraklis Pipinos, M.D.

UNMC researcher Iraklis Pipinos, M.B.B.S., answers questions about his work, life and interests.

NOTE: This profile is part of a series to highlight the 23 researchers who will be honored May 22 at a ceremony for UNMC’s 2011 Scientist Laureate, Distinguished Scientist and New Investigator award recipients.

Iraklis Pipinos, M.D.

• Name: Iraklis Pipinos, M.D.
  
• Title: Vascular Surgeon
  
• Joined UNMC: September 2001
  
• Hometown: Rhodes, Greece and Omaha

Describe your research in laymen’s terms.

The major focus of our laboratory is the development of regenerative medicine strategies for the legs of patients suffering from peripheral arterial disease (PAD). PAD afflicts 5 percent of the U.S. population older than 55 years of age and develops along with hardening (atherosclerosis) of the arteries of the legs. PAD is a chronic condition that decreases the blood supply to the legs producing significant damage to the muscle, nerves and skin of the lower limbs.

How do you want your research to translate to benefit patients?

The objective of the work performed in our laboratory is to produce new diagnostic and treatment strategies for the care of patients with peripheral arterial disease.

What is the best piece of advice anyone ever gave you, professional or personal?

Two sayings come to mind. My father used to tell me the saying of Theodore Roosevelt: “Far and away the best prize that life has to offer is the chance to work hard at work worth doing.”

And my wife keeps reminding me of the Hippocratic aphorism: “The art is long, the life is short.”

List three things few people know about you.

• I am from an island in Greece and moved to the United States when I was 24 years old.
  
• I feel very blessed with a great family. My wife and I are expecting our fifth child in August.
  
• The majority of my clinical practice is at the Omaha VA hospital. I really love taking care of our veterans. They are the most kind and unselfish people.