HOT SPRINGS—At 60, most physicians begin to think about retirement. Instead, Vladimir Karpitskiy keeps setting records, achieving milestones, and raising the bar for medical practitioners in Arkansas.

 

Karpitskiy recently became the first neurologist board-certified in neuromuscular medicine, when he passed the bar for the subspecialty on his first try last August.

 

“With science, the more you know, the more you realize you only know a very little bit,” said Karpitskiy, who was already board-certified in neurology and one of only four Arkansas neurologists with board certification in vascular neurology. “To practice medicine at a high level, you have to learn all the time, and taking the boards makes you learn. And being board-certified proves that you know something!”

 

Born in Russia to Vitaley, a border patrolman in the Russian Army, and Margarita, a bookkeeper, Karpitskiy grew up in Crimea, a peninsula in south Ukraine between the Black Sea and Sea of Azov that had been colonized by Greeks and Romans and later overtaken by Huns and Mongols.

 

Even though he wanted to be a physicist, his parents couldn’t afford advanced schooling in Moscow. Enrolling at the Crimea State Medical Institute in 1967 “was a random choice,” he said, quickly adding, “…the best choice.” After earning a medical degree in 1973, he interned in neurology in Simferopol, the capital of Crimea.

 

Then while working in Kertch, Karpitskiy indulged his interest in the scientific side of medicine. He earned a PhD while a practicing neurologist, moved to Yalta and became a researcher, advancing quickly to the senior level. He also quickly learned the world of medical academia in the Soviet Union was corrupt. “They reward each other … they know each other … and they don’t allow others in,” he told a reporter in 2007.

 

By 1984, he had relocated to Simferopol, where he advanced to vice chancellor for scientific research and professor at his medical school alma mater. The political climate in the Soviet Union shifted significantly in the late 1980s, as Communism began to crumble and crime ran rampant. Unfortunately, Karpitskiy garnered critics for his outspokenness about the corruption taking place in medical academia.

 

“Making the decision to leave at a time when my career was peaking was the most difficult one of my life,” admitted Karpitskiy. He learned about then-President George H.W. Bush’s plan to increase the number of Russian immigrants with skills needed in the United States. “I had to go because I didn’t see a future for my children there, and our country was falling apart.”

 

Soviet officials caught wind of Karpitskiy’s plans and placed his family—wife Tanya and children Katya and Alex—under surveillance; even innocent phone conversations were monitored. 

 

In 1992, Karpitskiy fled the country with his family of four, travel authorization papers freshly in hand. His only sibling, Olga, joined the family in the United States several years later.

 

“It was a bumpy transition,” he admitted. “We flew from Moscow to New York, and then we were sent to St. Louis. I remember having to pay extra to transport our dog (a Doberman named Boy). I didn’t know where St. Louis was, but it seemed like a warm place on the map.”

 

Even though neither Karpitskiy nor his family knew how to speak English, had no relatives nearby, and had never driven a car, they were thrilled with their new surroundings.

 

“Hot and cold running water, shampoo, toilet paper … wow! … not to mention cars everywhere,” he said. “In the Soviet Union, a car was a luxury and a privilege, not a means of transportation.”

 

Thanks to government-subsidized housing and a quick study in English, Karpitskiy found a job within three months as a senior research associate with the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. “I could read English, but I couldn’t speak it, so that was a problem for a while.” A crash course in driving helped Karpitskiy ace his driver’s test.

 

The year 1999 signaled a turning point for Karpitskiy. He decided to return to clinical medicine. Even though his medical degree from Russia was recognized in the United States, he had to pass medical exams and fulfill neurology residency requirements.

 

“So it was back to medical school after 25 years … I was 49 … I still hold the record for the oldest resident at Washington University Medical School,” he said, with a chuckle.

 

He discovered Hot Springs, Ark., en route from Galveston, Texas to St. Louis—and when he heard that National Park Medical Center was recruiting neurologists for the Hot Springs community, he immediately applied for a post. In August 2003, he opened his own practice in Hot Springs. Tanya, who earned a master’s degree in computer science from Webster University in St. Louis and gained information technology expertise, manages all aspects of the practice. Katya is an orthopedic surgeon serving as an Air Force major, and Alex is pursuing a career in biotechnology.

 

“I’m so lucky to have had the opportunity for all of my family to be integrated into American society,” he said.