Reese Medal

2023 Recipients: Joseph and Linda Chlapaty

In 2011, Joseph “Joe” Chlapaty suffered a stroke — though at first, he didn’t realize it. He discovered later it was caused by atrial fibrillation, an irregular heartbeat that can lead to heart failure and other serious complications. After living with the symptoms for many years, he sought a second opinion from Ohio State.

Joe and his wife, Linda, were so impressed by the life-changing care he received at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center that they were inspired to make an extraordinary gift to further advance cardiovascular research at Ohio State.

“We're Buckeye fans, and we've come to learn the importance of research and the funding that is necessary,” Joe shared. “That’s why we supported laboratories in the Pelotonia Research Center that has been so beautifully and meaningfully constructed, and the Inpatient Hospital Tower.”

The Chlapatys’ investment in the Pelotonia Research Center established the fifth floor as the Linda and Joe Chlapaty Research Laboratories. The Center is the first building to open in Carmenton, Ohio State’s innovation district, and features laboratory neighborhoods that are focused on bringing together scientists from different disciplines to create solutions for complex problems.

In 2020, the Chlapatys provided funding for COVID-19 research, and the following year, they made an additional commitment to support the development of the Inpatient Hospital Tower.

The Inpatient Hospital Tower will expand Ohio State’s research and clinical trials, including to address health disparities in cardiac disease, diabetes, and breast, lung and colorectal cancers. With triple the number of critical care beds compared to the current hospital, double the number of trauma beds, and larger labor and delivery and NICU areas, this facility — to open in 2026 — will significantly grow the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s ability to serve the community.

The Chlapatys consistently champion the work happening at Ohio State, and the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center’s role as the leading patient-centered care network in central Ohio. Joe Chlapaty joined the Wexner Medical Center Time and Change Campaign Committee in 2019, recognizing the opportunity to become more deeply involved as a volunteer. The Chlapatys have hosted a series of engagement dinners to introduce institutional leadership to donors and the business community, advocating for others to support the Ohio State Wexner Medical Center.

Joe Chlapaty has served as president and CEO, and later chairman, of Advanced Drainage Systems. Linda Chlapaty is a retired teacher with Dublin City Schools and is involved in many community organizations, including the Dublin Food Pantry and Court Appointed Special Advocates (CASA).