Garry Lapidus is one of the earliest PAs in pediatrics. His career reflects both personal discovery and the evolution of the physician assistant/physician associate profession itself—built on vision, resilience, and a belief that compassionate care and public health leadership can transform lives. Lapidus has long been a champion for advanced practice providers (APPs). When Connecticut Children’s opened in 1996, there were fewer than 20 APPs. By 2020, that number had grown to 180, at which time Lapidus was appointed co-director of the Office of Advanced Practice Providers (with Basia Adams, DNP, APRN). By 2025, the workforce had expanded to 245 across 34 divisions. Together, they established the APP Advisory Council, created the APP Excellence Award Program, and launched a comprehensive Career Ladder to support APP professional development.
Born in Newark, NJ, in 1953 and raised in Colonia, NJ, Lapidus attended the University of Bridgeport (BS, Biological Sciences, 1971–74) and Rutgers University (MS, Physiology, 1975–76). His path to becoming a PA began unexpectedly in 1975, when a chance encounter with a student from the newly opened Rutgers PA Program piqued his interest. After visiting the program office, he was given a copy of Physician Assistant: Today and Tomorrow—a book that inspired him to pursue a PA career.
To qualify for admission, Lapidus worked overnight as a nursing assistant at Newark’s Martland Hospital while completing graduate school during the day. These shifts provided the 2,000 clinical hours needed for PA program eligibility. Accepted into several programs, he chose the Emory University PA Program (1977–78) in Atlanta, GA, where his formal medical training began and where he developed lifelong friendships with Jim and Margie Blansfield.
As part of the first generation of PAs, Lapidus began his career at Mt. Sinai Hospital in Hartford, CT (1979–89). He cared for infants, children, and adolescents in pediatric hospital medicine, the well-baby nursery, and the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU). There he observed a troubling pattern: many young patients suffered preventable injuries and violence. Motivated to address this public health crisis, he pursued an MPH at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine, graduating in 1989.
That same year, Lapidus became the first PA in pediatrics at Hartford Hospital. To test the PA model in pediatrics, the hospital assigned him a workload equivalent to a first-year physician intern (PL1). He excelled, balancing responsibilities in the Pediatric Primary Care Center with directing the newly created Injury Prevention Center. In 1990, he received his first dual faculty appointment in Pediatrics and Public Health at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine.
When Connecticut Children’s Medical Center opened in 1996, Lapidus and the pediatric faculty transitioned to the new institution. His leadership in injury prevention and academic accomplishments led to promotions to assistant professor (1993) and associate professor (2002). Over his career, he authored more than 75 peer-reviewed journal articles and attained national recognition for his contributions to injury prevention research, community-based programming, education, and policy. He is currently a PA in the Pediatric Emergency Medicine Center at Connecticut Children’s.
Garry Lapidus has contributed extensively to state-level injury prevention initiatives. His service includes roles with the Connecticut Department of Public Health’s EMS/Trauma Subcommittee (1994–98); chair of the Prevention Subcommittee for EMS for Children (1995–99); the Preventive Health Block Grant Committee (1999–2000); Advisory Committee for the Crash Outcome Data Evaluation System (1998–2000); the Office of EMS Trauma and EMS System Committee (1996–2001); co-chair of the CT Injury Prevention Action Group (2012–13); and the Advisory Committee for the Connecticut Violent Death Reporting System (2014–19). He also advised the Connecticut General Assembly as co-chair of the Task Force to Study the Statewide Response to Family Violence (2015–16) and served on Governor-elect Ned Lamont’s public safety transition team (2018–19).
Within the American Public Health Association, Lapidus has held numerous leadership roles, including chair of the Professional Education and Training Committee (1990–91), chair of the Membership Committee (1992–93), chair of the Injury Control and Emergency Health Services Section (1993–94), and service on the Martha May Eliot Award Committee (1998–2001).
Lapidus also served as president of the New England Injury & Violence Prevention Research Collaborative (2011–15) after previously serving as a board member (2009–10). Additional board service includes the Society for Advancement of Injury and Violence Research (2006–08), Injury Free Coalition for Kids (2011–15), and vice president of the Brain Injury Alliance of Connecticut (2020–21).
His contributions have been recognized with numerous awards, including the CATCH Award from the City of Hartford (1992), Safety Leader Award from Advocates for Highway and Auto Safety (1996), Crusader Award from the Connecticut Coalition Against Domestic Violence (2013), the Charles Huntington PA-C Award from the Connecticut Public Health Association (2013), and the Distinguished Career Award from the American Public Health Association (2020).
After nearly 30 years as director of the Injury Prevention Center (1990–2019), Lapidus became director of Research Operations & Development at Connecticut Children’s Hospital (2020–23), helping guide the institution’s growth in scientific research. Since 2023, he has served as Research and Education Liaison within Research Operations & Development at Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
In 2025, Connecticut Children’s established the Garry Lapidus Trailblazer Leadership Award to honor APPs who exemplify his warmth, generosity, and vision.
Lapidus has delivered numerous presentations (including at annual meetings of APHA and ConnAPA), contributed widely to the scientific literature (including the American Journal of Public Health), secured major grant funding (including from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation), and provided expert testimony before Connecticut General Assembly committees on child injury prevention.
To view Mr. Lapidus’ full list of publications, please refer to his Google Scholar profile here.
Throughout his life and career, Lapidus has been sustained by the love and support of his wife, Robin Tucker Lapidus; his daughter, Emily; his son, Shane; and countless colleagues and friends. His passions outside medicine—tennis, cycling, hiking, and drumming—have brought balance and joy to a career dedicated to service.
Acknowledgments:
This biography was prepared by Bill Kohlhepp and the assistance of Garry Lapidus. It was submitted to the Society in December 2025. Photographs are courtesy of Mr. Lapidus.
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