Q&A: Dr. John C. Lipman (G’81, M’85), Leading Interventional Radiologist, on Rad-Path and New Lecture Series
Dr. John C. Lipman (G’81, M’85)
Dr. John C. Lipman (G’81, M’85), founder and medical director of the Atlanta Fibroid Center, has spent his career advancing minimally invasive treatments while teaching the importance of clinical care to the next generation of interventional radiologists. As a leading board-certified interventional radiologist, he has helped more than 10,000 patients with uterine fibroids to avoid major surgery.
Lipman’s connection to Georgetown runs deep. He obtained his master’s and medical degree from Georgetown, and he has since returned multiple times to the medical campus as a panelist, sharing his experiences with Special Master’s Program and M.D. students.
Now, Lipman is giving back to Georgetown in an even more enduring way by endowing a new lectureship to begin fall 2026: the Dr. James Smirniotopoulos Lecture Series in Radiology-Pathology Correlation. The series will focus on “rad-path” – the integration of radiologic imaging, pathology, and clinical findings to develop a more complete understanding of disease and make better decisions in patient care.
The lecture series is named for one of Lipman’s mentors, Dr. James Smirniotopoulos (M’76), who will deliver the inaugural lecture on October 26 at 3 p.m. in the New Research Building Auditorium. Smirniotopoulos will draw from his experiences as a professor at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences in Bethesda, Maryland; a former Georgetown professor; and longtime editor of the National Library of Medicine’s MedPix database. The decision to name the lecture series for Dr. Smirniotopoulos reflects Lipman’s belief that some of the most important lessons in medicine are those passed from one generation to the next.
In Lipman’s work, rad-path is vital to the process of diagnosing and treating problems deep inside the body. In an email conversation with BGE, he shared his thoughts on the importance of radiology-pathology correlation, the influence of one of his mentors, and what he hopes Georgetown students will learn from the new lecture series.
BGE: Why is rad-path important for physicians to understand?
Dr. John C. Lipman: Radiology and pathology are two sides of the same coin. Radiology reveals the structural manifestations of disease in living patients, while pathology explains the underlying biological processes responsible for those findings. When physicians understand the relationship between imaging and pathology, they move beyond simply recognizing patterns to understanding why those patterns exist.
In interventional radiology, we use these principles to not only direct patient care, but also in our clinical research to discover better and safer approaches to treating disease. This integrated approach improves diagnostic accuracy, strengthens clinical reasoning, and ultimately leads to better patient care. Regardless of specialty, physicians who appreciate the correlation between imaging findings and disease processes are better equipped to make informed decisions and communicate effectively with colleagues across disciplines.
BGE: How do you hope students will benefit from the new Dr. James Smirniotopoulos Lecture Series?
Dr. John C. Lipman: My hope is that these lectures will inspire students to think beyond memorizing facts and instead develop the ability to integrate clinical information, pathology, and imaging into a cohesive understanding of disease. The Georgetown Special Master’s Program (SMP) provides an outstanding foundation in the biomedical sciences, and I believe exposure to exceptional physician-educators can have a lasting impact on career choices and the way students approach patient care.
I also hope the lecture series demonstrates the value of curiosity, lifelong learning, and interdisciplinary thinking. Whether students ultimately pursue radiology, pathology, surgery, internal medicine, or another specialty, understanding how different disciplines complement one another will make them better physicians. As an interventional radiologist, I often work together with other physicians as part of a care team which always improves patient outcomes. If even one student is inspired the way I was over 40 years ago, the lecture series will have accomplished its purpose.
BGE: Why did you decide to endow this lecture series?
Dr. John C. Lipman: My journey to medicine began with the Georgetown Special Master’s Program, where I graduated in 1981 before entering Georgetown School of Medicine. During my second year of medical school, I had the privilege of attending the radiology-pathology correlation lectures at Georgetown and the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology (AFIP). Those lectures were among the most memorable educational experiences of my medical training.
Dr. James Smirniotopoulos was, in my opinion, the most outstanding lecturer we had. His ability to explain complex neuroanatomy with clarity, enthusiasm, and clinical relevance transformed the way I thought about disease. His passion for teaching and his mastery of radiologic-pathologic correlation were major influences on my decision to pursue a career in radiology. Ironically, Jim’s nephew John is an interventional radiologist at Georgetown.
Creating this endowed lecture series is my way of expressing gratitude — to the Georgetown SMP for providing the educational foundation that made my medical career possible, and to Dr. Smirniotopoulos for inspiring me through his extraordinary teaching. It is my hope that his legacy will continue to motivate future generations of students just as he inspired me more than four decades ago.
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