“Like father, like son.”  That’s a phrase that many of us are familiar with, but probably none so familiar as Dr. Duane Michael Tippets.  Afterall, he built his entire career around it.  In this “Out of the Office” article, we will find out a little more about Dr. Tippets, his family, how he likes to spend his time away from the office, and how he hopes to be remembered.

Dr. Tippets has intentionally followed closely in his dad’s (Duane D. Tippets) footsteps.  “For as long as I can remember, I have always wanted to be like my dad.  I remember being very young and watching him study and go through his medical training.  I later had the opportunity to shadow him in the office and in the operating room when I was in high school.  I saw the joy that his work brought him, and I saw how much his patients loved him for the service he provided.  This convinced me that I not only wanted to be a doctor, but I wanted to be a doctor just like him!” 

From the patient perspective, Dr. Tippets is most definitely reaching his goal of being loved and respected for the service he provides.  Each week, we hear patients tell us how patient, kind, and attentive he is to their individual stories and situations.

 While his work is a big part of his life, it certainly isn’t the biggest part.  As with all of our orthopaedic surgeons at Anniston Ortho, family comes first.  Dr. Tippets met his wife, Lori, in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, where they were both attending Nova Southeastern University.  He was there for medical school and she was there for physician assistant (PA) school.   Today, they have four very active sons: Mikey, who is 17 and enjoys playing in a garage band with friends, 15-year-old Matt who runs track and participates in mountain biking at Oxford High School, Ben (11) who enjoys baseball, basketball, and playing the saxophone for the C.E. Hanna band, and Danny (9) who plays baseball, basketball, soccer and video games in his spare time.  They also have Charley—the family dog—who seems to enjoy doing anything the family is doing, too.

Needless to say, based on the aforementioned activities, when Dr. Tippets isn’t in the office, you’re most likely to catch him in a gym or on a field of some type, watching his sons play sports.  If he happens to be out of town, he will likely be hiking, backpacking or camping with his family.  As a matter of fact, Dr. Tippets’ favorite vacation involved hiking with his family through Yosemite and Sequoia National Parks, and his “bucket list” destination is the Alaska wilderness for a fishing trip.

You might think that if he wasn’t an orthopedicsurgeon, Dr. Tippets would surely be professionally involved in the National Park systems, or maybe even a coach of some kind, based on his interests and extremely active family.  Surprisingly, that’s not the case.  When we asked him what he thought he would be doing if he weren’t an orthopedic surgeon, Dr. Tippets said, “I would be a pilot of some kind.”  Given his calm demeanor and strict attention to detail, perhaps his answer isn’t that surprising, after all.

The truth is, no matter what he’s doing, Dr. Tippets lives to make a positive impact on others. It’s often done quietly and with little fanfare, but the affect is significant.  In a recent article at annistonortho.com[1], patient Dale Wilson said, "Dr.Tippets restored my quality of life...” and he is not alone in that sentiment.  Whether he is in an operating room, a room full of athletes, or the living room, Dr. Duane Michael Tippets says he has one singular goal for how he will be remembered: “as someone who lived a life of selfless service.”  

[1] https://www.annistonortho.com/post/approach-matters-anterior-hip-replacement-great-option-for-active-patients

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