Dr. Elizabeth M. Pepe, DO, FACOFP

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Get to know Family Practitioner Dr. Elizabeth M. Pepe, who serves patients in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida.

Dr. Pepe is a seasoned family physician based in Indian Harbour Beach, Florida. She has over 35 years of experience in the field, working in many different scenarios, from self-employed in private suburban solo practice to a private solo rural practice, employed in a private group practice, and has taken locum tenens positions globally.

With a broad educational background, Dr. Pepe obtained her Bachelor of Science Degree from the University of Maryland, College Park in 1976. She then graduated with her Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine Degree from Nova Southeastern University Dr. Kiran C. Patel College of Osteopathic Medicine in 1986, after which she performed her residency in emergency medicine at Carl R. Darnall Army Medical Center in 1989. She opted into the US Army School of Aviation Medicine (USASAM) in Fort Rucker AL, becoming an Army Flight Surgeon in 1987.

Board certified in family medicine, Dr. Pepe holds the esteemed title of Diplomate of the American Osteopathic Board of Family Physicians (AOBFP). The AOBFP is an organization that provides board certification to qualified osteopathic physicians who specialize in delivering comprehensive primary care for patients of all ages, genders, and addressing all parts of the body.

Professionally, Dr. Pepe is a Fellow of the American College of Osteopathic Family Physicians (FACOFP), a former US Army Flight Surgeon, a former FAA Senior Medical Examiner, a former Medical Review Officer, a Diplomate of Disaster Medicine, and is qualified as a Hyperbaric Chamber / Medical Officer.

Family medicine is a medical specialty devoted to comprehensive health care for people of all ages. The specialist is called a family physician or family doctor. A family physician is often the first person a patient sees when seeking healthcare services. They examine and treat patients with a wide range of conditions and refer those with serious ailments to a specialist or appropriate facility.

Dr. Pepe’s extensive medical career has taken her to Guam where she treated native Chamorrans, to Wake Island in the Mid-Pacific Ocean where she worked with Thai nationals, and to the Kwajalein Atoll in the Marshall Islands, where she treated the Marshallese. She has also provided medical care to Eskimos 300 miles north of the Arctic Circle, Native Americans in New Mexico and Oklahoma, was the interim CMO for the Port St. Lucie County Jail, and has seen and treated patients in various clinics across mainland US and Hawaii.

In addition to her experience in different parts of the world, Dr. Pepe has also worked in conflict zones. As a contractor, she spent a year in Iraq and six months in Afghanistan, providing medical care to defense contractors.  

Her dedication to medicine is evident in her willingness to serve in challenging situations. This is demonstrated by her volunteer work in Homestead, Florida in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in 1992, and in Shreveport, Louisiana after Hurricane Katrina and during Hurricane Rita in 2005. Dr. Pepe was also named Hometown Hero in Satellite Beach in 1997 for saving the life of an elderly person who collapsed during a ballroom dance. She is happy calling Florida her base of operations.

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