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James R. Doty, M.D.
Clinical Focus
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Neurological Surgery
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Complex Spine Disorders
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Minimally Invasive Spine Surgery
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Brain Tumor Surgery
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Stereotactic Radiosurgery
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Pediatric Neurological Surgery
Academic Appointments
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Clinical Professor, Neurosurgery
Administrative Appointments
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Board of Directors, Chairman & CEO, Accuray, Inc. (manufacturer of the CyberKnife) (1997 - 1999)
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Board of Directors, California Association of Neurological Surgeons (1996 - 1999)
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Board of Directors, Chairman (2009-2010), Dalai Lama Foundation (2007 - 2016)
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International Board of Advisors, Council for a Parliament of the World's Religions (2009 - Present)
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Advisory Board, Heroic Imagination Project (2009 - Present)
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Board of Directors Vice-Chairman, Friends of New Orleans (2008 - 2015)
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Board of Governors, Tulane University School of Medicine (2007 - Present)
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Advisory Board, The Fogarty Institute of Innovation (2007 - Present)
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Board of Directors, The Brain and Creativity Institute at USC (2008 - 2011)
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Founder & Director, The Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education at Stanford (2008 - Present)
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Director, The Neuroscience Institute at El Camino Hospital (2008 - Present)
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Advisory Board, Social Chocolate SuperBetter (2011 - 2014)
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Board of Directors, Association for Medical Ethics (2012 - 2015)
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Advisory Board, Greater Good Science Center (2012 - Present)
Honors & Awards
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"Best Doctor", America's Best Doctors (2005-2018)
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America's Top Surgeons, Consumer's Research Council of America (2005-2018)
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"Healthcare Hero", New Orleans CityBusiness Journal (2008)
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Member (Outstanding Alumnus-Tulane University), The Paul Tulane Society (2008)
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Member, Founder's Circle Stanford University (2009)
Professional Education
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Medical Education: Tulane University School of Medicine Registrar (1981) LA
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Internship: Tripler Army Medical Center GME Training Verifications (1982) HI
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Board Certification: Neurological Surgery, American Board of Neurological Surgery (1990)
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Residency: Walter Reed Army Medical Center (1987) DC
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M.D., Tulane University, Medicine (1981)
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B.S., University of California, Irvine, Biological Sciences (1978)
Book & Publications
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Into the Magic Shop: A Neurosurgeon’s Quest to Discover the Mysteries of the Brain and the Secrets of the Heart (Penguin, 2016)
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Dr. Doty also writes for The Huffington Post
Other
A Foreword From Richard Lee, PUUR CEO:
Jim's accomplishments in saving and improving lives in the fields of his expertise in neurosurgery, neuroscience and compassion research is incredibly amazing. However, Jim as a person, as a humanitarian, a mentor..., is even more amazing.
Our experience of Jim started a couple years back with me asking one of his Stanford doctoral colleagues for an introduction to Jim.
The colleague said to me, "The James Doty?! Look, your company looks very promising, but Jim gets countless asks for involvement in tech companies. Right now, you guys are too small. Better look at the other names lower on your list."
Problem was, we didn't put anyone "lower on our list." We just wanted Jim to be our scientific advisor. Period. We believed only he possessed the rare, deep and broad knowledge TO GET what we were doing. We also saw his TED Talk where he was so courageously authentic and vulnerable in front of the whole world. PUUR is all about authenticity and vulnerability!
So I emailed Jim. I asked him to look at our practice and the science supporting it. When I clicked the SEND button, I didn't think I would get a reply back. But about a week later, Jim did reply! He replied back while he was in Dubai giving a key note on world health. Think about this, here is Dr. James Doty amongst some of the world's leaders and he took the time to reply back to an unknown pre-seed company. Talk about having rare compassion!
From there we set a time to Zoom meet, he was humble, inquisitive, crisp of mind, and a few meetings later, Jim became our Scientific Advisor, then our friend, mentor and our goof ball. His humor, advice, insights and wisdom are invaluable.
Every day, we thank God for "our Jim", a true godsend.
If you don't have his book, Into The Magic Shop, you are cheating yourself. It is an amazing testament of the superpower of love and compassion in being able to heal a traumatized child and empower him to becoming a liberator of humanity.
Order his book and enjoy some of his wonderful talks below.
Warmly,
Richard Lee
CEO of PUUR
Book
We each possess an extraordinary power to realize our greatest potential and live the life we want. Dr. James Doty is living proof, as so many readers of his bestseller Into the Magic Shop will attest. Having grown up in an environment of poverty and neglect, James Doty was 12 years old when he walked into a magic shop and met an extraordinary woman who introduced him to a series of teachings that changed the trajectory of his life. With Lessons from the Magic Shop, Dr. Doty offers an in-depth training program with the same transformational practices that helped him overcome great odds en route to becoming a renowned neurosurgeon, neuroscientist, and one of today’s leading voices on the power of love and compassion.
Press
Famous K-Pop Group, BTS, Used Stanford Neurosurgeon's Book As An Inspiration
BTS’s “Magic Shop” has over 87 Million views on YouTube. BTS asks fans to open their hearts when they’re in pain, and tells fans about their own experiences, letting them know that they’re not alone.
James Doty: The True Nature of Compassion
"Fundamentally being compassionate or caring for others is actually our default mode and that often times especially in modern society we get distracted from who we really are."
Neurosurgeon James R. Doty On How To Practice Altruism -ABC
When his investments crashed, James was left with just one parcel of shares, still worth millions. But as a philanthropist, he'd promised to give those shares away, and he did.
The Science Of Compassion -ABC
James Doty emerged from a disadvantaged background in the United States to become a neurosurgeon, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist—only to let his fortune go and dedicate his professional life to the scientific study of compassion and altruism.
Miracles From A Magic Shop -Goop
His work helps us understand the soul of human relationships, their effect on the brain, and the immense power that each of us has to shape how we see the world and how it reacts to us.
How Compassion Could Be the Cure for Chronic Stress -Goop
“One of the problems in modern society is that people don’t feel psychological safety. It’s an issue of chronic disconnection from the people around us."
Stanford's James Doty Unlocks the Heart-Brain Connection -KQED
Can we rewire the brain to become more compassionate? Doty's book, "Into the Magic Shop", chronicles his journey from a chaotic childhood to a cutting-edge scientist of the heart-brain connection.
Can Compassion Help Heal Patients — And Providers? -AAMC
“When a person is thinking compassionate thoughts, we see increased activity in specific areas of the brain. The areas we see light up are the ones that are associated with reward or pleasure."
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