Paul Overlie, MD
Distinguished Achievement Award
Dr. Paul Overlie received his medical degree and completed his residency and fellowship at the University of Colorado School of Medicine where he later served as faculty. He has been a pioneer with using innovative treatments in cardiology throughout his career.
When Dr. Overlie was 14 years old, his father was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and Dr. Overlie spent many years helping with his care. He attended Colorado State University and then worked as a teacher after graduating. However, his father’s disability fueled an interest in healthcare, and he decided to enroll at Temple University to study physiology. One day, when he was researching medicines to change blood pressure in bats, the chairman of the physiology department approached him and said that while he was doing good work, she and her colleagues thought he might be better suited to caring for humans. Dr. Overlie agreed, and he soon after applied and was accepted to the University of Colorado School of Medicine.
Dr. Overlie has written numerous articles, abstracts, and book contributions, with a primary interest in heart stents, vascular balloons, and extracorporeal bypass machines. He has also participated in multicenter studies for heart attack and CHF trials. While doing all this research and writing, he maintained a full-time clinical cardiology practice. Dr. Overlie served as a member of several medical advisory boards, expert panels, clinical/device trials, and course directorships for continuing medical education. He credits his teammates, from nurses and cardiologists to surgical technicians, teachers, and medical device technicians, for making it possible for him to manage the many different facets of his career.
When Dr. Overlie thinks about his years as a physician, he most values the steadfast love and support of his wife Candy, the pursuit of excellence that he and his colleagues strived for, their focus on science, and being part of a group caring for the most critically ill patients – patients who have had or are in the crisis of having a myocardial infarction and/or cardiac arrest – by finding treatments to resuscitate them and allow a life to continue for a few more years.