Dr. Lippy Bio

William H. Lippy, MD — Founder of The Lippy Group for Ear, Nose & Throat

William H. Lippy, MD

Dr. William H. Lippy, passed away on June 29, 2024, surrounded by his loving family. Dr. Lippy founded The Lippy Group for Ear, Nose and Throat in Warren, Ohio. He was an internationally recognized expert in stapedectomy surgery for treatment of deafness. He was one of a handful of surgeons in the world who performed thousands of stapedectomies. Dr. Lippy created “The Lippy Stapes Prosthesis” as well as many instruments used in stapedectomy surgery. He published 65 peer review scientific papers and wrote chapters in five otologic textbooks.

Dr. Lippy’s efforts in educating young otologists and audiologists are well known, both in the United States and abroad. In addition to his Presidency of the Otosclerosis Study Group, he received the Award of Merit from the Otologic Society, which is presented annually to the most outstanding otologist in the world. His special interest was the treatment and surgery for otosclerosis, a disease affecting the mechanics of the middle ear - causing loss of hearing. He performed over 18,000 stapedectomies, including over 2,000 revisions of unsuccessful or failed cases. Dr. Lippy’s high success rate in restoring hearing was enhanced by the advent of the laser.

ACADEMY OF OTOLARYNGOLOGY COURSES

Having taught courses for over 30 years at the annual Academy of Otolaryngology on stapedectomy and its unusual problems, Dr. Lippy identified and wrote on numerous exotic subjects including:

Far advanced otosclerosis
Stapedectomy in the elderly
Stapedectomy in children
Stapedectomy in combat pilots
“The Second Ear,” what to expect in the second ear based on what was found in the first operated ear

STAPEDECTOMY IN PILOTS

Historically, surgeons trained to perform stapedectomies, the operation for patients diagnosed with otosclerosis, stopped operating on pilots with otosclerosis due to incapacitating vertigo upon sudden descent. As a consultant for the Israeli Air Force, Dr. Lippy discovered that by modifying the prosthesis and using a thicker vein graft, the patients could withstand a sudden pressure increase inside an altitude chamber three months post-surgery. The results led to a total change in policy by the worldwide armed forces and commercial airlines, allowing pilots having had this specific procedure to once again fly.

WORK WITH FEMALE PATIENTS

Dr. Lippy is also credited for his work with female patients with otosclerosis. (See: LA Times May 20, 2005 & Cleveland Jewish News Jul 8, 2005.) Since 1939, otologists believed that pregnancy in an otosclerotic woman would make her hearing worse. Dr. Lippy compared the hearing changes of female patients from the orthodox community in Israel, who had many children, with his patients in the United States. He found no difference, thereby eliminating the long-held correlation. Instead, his extensive research uncovered a paper written in 1939 in Nazi Germany, where a group of nine physicians and one representative of the German government made a eugenic decision resulting in aborting the 67 otosclerotic women in their study. The Nazi regime did not want anyone with a hereditary disease in their population. Lippy’s contention was that it was the nature of this paper that led to debunking the long held beliefs about childbearing otosclerotic women and their hearing.

The day he was able to tell his young female patients with otosclerosis that they could bear children without endangering their hearing was one of his greatest satisfactions.

Dr. Lippy both lectured and performed surgery in Israel, and taught physicians from Jordan, Egypt, Iran, Turkey, Romania, India, and China. He was a visiting professor at dozens of universities and teaching hospitals in the United States, including:

• University of Miami

• University of Colorado, Denver

• University of Pittsburgh

• Stanford University

• The Cleveland Clinic

• Long Island Jewish Hospital

• University of Cincinnati

• University of Eastern Virginia

• Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland

• Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit

• Mount Sinai Hospital, New York

• University of Michigan

• The Ohio State University

• The Michigan Ear Institute

• Kent State University

Dr. Lippy, was born in Niles, Ohio in 1928. After graduating from Oberlin College, Lippy completed both medical school and his residency at The Ohio State University. In between his internship and residency, he served in the United States Air Force as a flight surgeon with the rank of Captain. He was stationed at Loring Airforce base in Maine as part of the Strategic Air Command.

He began his ENT practice in Warren, Ohio in 1960 and taught at both Kent State and Case Western Universities. Dr. Lippy narrowed his specialty to Otology, performing surgery to restore hearing in patients with otosclerosis.

Dr. Lippy was a co-founder of the Israel Tennis and Education Centers (ITEC). In 1976, Lippy was alongside Leah Rabin in Ramat Hasharon, Israel to open the first center. ITEC is a quality-of-life program serving children throughout Israel using the game of tennis. What began as one center in the middle of the country grew into 23 locations, built primarily in disadvantaged communities. The program has produced over 500,000 graduates. By 2024, ITEC had built 24 centers in primarily disadvantaged economic communities throughout the country.

“Jump Start America” was another of Dr. Lippy’s creations. In January of 1992, with American car sales rapidly declining, Lippy dreamed up a plan for employers to offer a $600 incentive to buy a car built in America. The idea was to stimulate the market, helping to provide jobs to their local communities. That year, the American share of the automotive market increased for the first time in thirty years.

Despite all his accomplishments, Dr. Lippy was always quick to tell you that his wonderful family was his greatest gift. The glue that held it all together was his precious Sandra, known as Safta to the grandchildren. Together they enjoyed travelling with each grandchild to a destination of their choice, taking dance, cooking, art or etiquette lessons together – and even teaching them the art of investing through their family stock club.

Dr. Lippy is survived by his wife, Sandra; his sister, Marjorie; his sons, David (Pam), Stephen (Sandra), Frank, and Brian (Sarah); his grandchildren, Suzanne, Sarah, Courtney, Carly, Harrison, Adam, Sacha, Nathan, Astrid, Teo, and Fiona; his great grandchildren; Marleigh, Hayden, Noa, Gavin, Riley, and Logan William; and his nieces and nephews, David, Ross, Bill, Ted, Tom, Dana, Daniel, and Joel.

Services took place in the main sanctuary at B’nai Torah Congregation, 6261 SW 18th St., Boca Raton, Florida on Wednesday the 3rd of July at 11am EDS. Interment was at Eternal Light Memorial Gardens, 11520 State Road 7, Boynton, Beach, Florida.

If you are interested in making a contribution in memory of Dr. Bill Lippy, please consider making a donation to the Israel Tennis & Education Center.