New chair established

Alejandro Tobon, M.D. 

John H. Doran, M.D. ’73, an internist in Odessa, Texas, has given $500,000 to the Health Science Center to establish the John H. Doran, M.D., FACP, Endowed Chair in Peripheral Neuropathy.

Dr. Doran has been practicing in his native Odessa since graduating from the Long School of Medicine. He said he has long had an interest in giving back to the medical school and in advancing knowledge through research.

“There’s a lot we need to know about peripheral neuropathy,” he said. “I’ve seen an increase in the number of cases in recent years. There are more idiopathic [unknown] causes.”

The endowment will support, among other areas, the investigation of pathophysiology, cell biology and biochemistry of neuropathy, the development of biological or biochemical drugs and participation in clinical trials designed to reduce or eliminate the disease process.

Alejandro Tobon, M.D., is the inaugural holder of the Doran Chair. He completed his medical education in Colombia followed by an internship at Drexel University. His neurology residency training was at the University of New Mexico and his neuromuscular medicine fellowship training followed at the University of Miami.