Nodar Kipshidze, MD

Born: 1923

Nodar Kipshidze, a Georgian cardiologist, was an early participant in preventive aspects of cardiovascular disease (CVD) research and helped to facilitate the pursuit of such research in his own country and generally in international cardiology.

After graduating from Tbilisi Medical Institute, he entered a long career of clinical investigations in CVD, particularly atherosclerosis and experimental approaches to therapy, with a focus on coagulopathies. He rapidly advanced to high positions, including Director of the Institute of Clinical and Experimental Therapy. He also earned many awards, including U.S., Georgian, Russian, German, and Swedish academic honors.

He was particularly supportive and facilitative of activities pertaining to the Research Committee of the International Society of Cardiology and its chairs, Paul White and Ancel Keys. For example, he took the two men to the region of the Caucasus noted for the prevalence of centenarians. They had great adventures, but the visit culminated in no significant epidemiological research. (HB)