John Pippin, MD, FACC

John J. Pippin, MD, FACC, is director of academic affairs for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nationwide organization of physicians, scientists, educators, and laypersons that promotes preventive medicine, especially good nutrition, and addresses controversies in modern medicine, including ethical and scientific issues in education and research.

Dr. Pippin works to replace the use of animals in medical and drug research, medical education, and the training of physicians, nurses, and other medical professionals. He has testified before the U.S. Food and Drug Administration and the Institute of Medicine on how misleading animal experiment results contributed to the approval of Vioxx and other dangerous drugs. He also testified in 2011 before the Institute of Medicine Committee on the Use of Chimpanzees in Biomedical and Behavioral Research and has participated in a debate regarding animal experiments in the U.K. House of Commons.

Dr. Pippin directs the Physicians Committee's campaigns to replace medical school animal laboratories, to end the use of animals for trauma and specialty training, to replace animals for medical research and drug development, and many other projects. He contributes research and articles for Good Medicine and serves as a media spokesperson for the Physicians Committee's efforts.

After receiving his MD from the University of Massachusetts Medical School, Dr. Pippin completed his medical residency, chief residency, and clinical cardiovascular fellowship at New England Deaconess Hospital (now Beth Israel-Deaconess Hospital) in Boston. He was awarded a five-year Clinician Scientist Award from the American Heart Association in 1986, and carried out studies in nuclear cardiology at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical School and the Medical College of Virginia.

Dr. Pippin is board certified in internal medicine, cardiovascular diseases, and nuclear cardiology. He has been on several medical school faculties including Harvard Medical School and the Medical College of Virginia, where he was chosen Cardiology Professor of the Year three times. He has held many clinical, research, and administrative leadership positions, and was the founding director of cardiovascular medicine and medical imaging at Cooper Clinic in Dallas before joining the Physicians Committee in 2005.

Dr. Pippin is the author or co-author of more than 70 articles and abstracts that have been published in leading medical journals. He also has served as an invited speaker and panelist for numerous medical organizations including the American College of Cardiology and the Society of Nuclear Medicine. Dr. Pippin is also a frequent speaker to law schools and bar associations regarding animal law and animal experimentation.

Read more about Dr. Pippin’s latest work:

Pippin JJ, Cavanaugh SE, Pistollato F. Animal Research for Alzheimer Disease: Failures of Science and Ethics. In Animal Experimentation: Working Towards a Paradigm Change. Leiden, The Netherlands: Brill; 2019. https://brill.com/view/book/edcoll/9789004391192/BP000025.xml. Accessed May 8, 2019.

Ali Z, Chandrasekera PC, Pippin JJ. Animal research for type 2 diabetes mellitus, its limited translation for clinical benefit, and the way forward. ATLA 2018;46:13-22.

Merkley R, Pippin J. A review of IACUC practices at major U.S. research universities. ALTEX Proceedings 2017;6(1):17.

Merkley R, Joffe A, Pippin J. U.S. public opinion on the use of animals for medical training. ALTEX Proceedings 2017;6(1):184.