International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) is a worldwide grouping of national medical organizations. IPPNW uses research, education and advocacy to help prevent nuclear war and encourage the abolition of all nuclear weapons.
IPPNW has extended its original four point mandate to include the prevention of all wars, the demilitarization of the world, and to minimize the effects of war and to promote sustainable and ecologically sound development.
The IPPNW was founded in December 1980 by the cardiologists Dr. Bernard Lown of the Harvard School of Public Health and Dr. Evgueni Chazov of the USSR Cardiological Institute. Based on research they produced a "medical warning to humanity" of the medical and environmental dangers of nuclear war. The group's campaign produced books and also articles for professional journals and more popular media.
IPPNW was awarded the UNESCO Peace Education Prize in 1984 and the Nobel Peace Prize in 1985.
By the mid-1980s IPPNW had around 145,000 members and by the early 1990s around 200,000 members from over sixty countries. The group headquarters is in Boston, Massachusetts