PHOTO: UCalgary Medicine
Dr. Morton Doran, surgeon and educator at the University of Calgary medical school.
Dr. Morton Doran isn’t your everyday surgeon. Most surgeons pride themselves on their ability to perform finely controlled, precise hand movements. Dr. Doran’s hands sometimes have minds of their own, jerking uncontrollably in uncoordinated movements called ‘tics’. Most surgeons take pride in their ability to focus on one task for long periods at a time. Dr. Doran’s condition, however, makes him highly impulsive and prone to distraction. When many surgeons retire from surgical practice, they retreat into their own personal lives. But when Dr. Doran retired from practice, he spent the next eight years at the University of Calgary medical school,sharing his intimate knowledge of anatomy with his future colleagues. This July, though, he is – as he puts it – “retiring for good”.
Operating beyond an affliction
The fact that Dr. Doran suffers from Tourette syndrome is now relatively well-known. Many news articles have been written about his affliction. The famous writer and neurologist, Dr. Oliver Sacks, even wrote a short story about a surgeon with Tourette’s, based on the life of Dr. Doran. All of these writers, and indeed all who have known Dr. Doran, have found his story fascinating and inspiring. Especially since Tourette’s never once affected Dr. Doran when he was working in the operating room.
A lesser known fact about Dr. Doran, however, is that Tourette’s has never affected him when teaching at the medical school, either. Indeed, the spry, silver-haired professor loves teaching just as much as operating, if not more so.
“My favorite thing about working here is all the students”, says Dr. Doran, “all the keen, bright, interested, motivated students. Association with young people is what keeps me going all these years, and it’s what I will miss the most when I’m officially retired.”
Inspired by students to teach
Indeed, Dr. Doran embodies the spirit of these “young people” – biking at least 50 kilometres every day and ensuring he stays fit as a fiddle. The jersey name (a school tradition of nicknaming) that the graduating medical class of 2014 gave him was, appropriately, “Gun Show”.
Dr. Doran started teaching at the University of Calgary 26 years ago in 1988, while he was still in practice. He initially taught physiology and anatomy part time for the nursing course. Gradually he began to teach medical students, and for the last eight years has been teaching at the Faculty of Medicine nearly full time as a retired surgeon.
“What got me interested in teaching was when I was in my surgery residency, my preceptors asked me to teach small groups while they were busy. And you don’t say no! But I liked it. I told myself, one day, I’m going to do this full time.”
The phrase “full time” in Dr. Doran’s case is the understatement of the decade. The energetic ex-surgeon can readily be found in the anatomy lab on evenings and weekends, helping students learn new concepts and prepare for exams. When he is asked how he pulls this off, he simply states, “I have the time to do it, so why not?”
Keeping it simple and going beyond
Dr. Doran’s teaching style is also quite special. In contrast to the teachers who unabashedly “embrace technology”, Dr. Doran remains old-school. His preferred teaching tools, aside from cadavers and skeletons, are lab aprons, pipe-cleaners, and old fashioned black boards and colored chalk.
“I like simple!” exclaims Dr. Doran. “My tools allow you to see things in 3D in a simple, clear way. I guess I’m a dinosaur, but I like it.” Truth be told, however, Dr. Doran is no Troglodyte. A few years ago, Dr. Doran began recording podcasts of his lectures, accessible through the medical school’s online student portal, and these are treasured by his students as bona fide educational material. His pipe cleaners and chalk drawings have become the stuff of legend for medical students, and have attained their own special place in this era of information technology.
Indeed, Dr. Doran’s passion for simplifying medical concepts has clearly made a difference for his students.
“What I found particularly special about Dr. Doran is that he loved to devote time to students,” says Amanda Eslinger, a third year Calgary medical student who spent several weeks doing an elective with Dr. Doran. “He was one of those teachers that was able to make each of us feel like special individuals. He tailored his teaching to my own learning needs and he made me feel like I was worth the extra time.”
“Dr. Doran is a teacher and physician many of us look up towards,” states Dr. Jennifer Au, a former medical student beginning her family medicine residency this summer. “I will never forget how he went above and beyond with your time and efforts for us. We are forever grateful for his passion towards medicine, teaching, and students.”
Giving back (even more)
Speaking of grateful, just last month, students from the Class of 2016 coordinated a farewell celebration for Dr. Doran, and raised money to donate to the Tourette Syndrome Foundation of Canada in his name. Students have also created a websitein tribute to their beloved professor. At time of publication, this website is still accepting donations for the Tourette Syndrome Foundation.
As the Foundation’s former director, Dr. Doran remains involved in raising awareness about Tourette’s Syndrome. He has informed healthcare providers and advocated for families. His work has even been recognized by the Order of Canada. “I help put it out there,” describes Dr. Doran, forever humble. “I explain what Tourette’s is and how to manage it, and for the kids and their parents, I let them know that it’s not the end of the world, that life isn’t going to be miserable forever.”
Indeed, if there is one message that Dr. Doran would like to leave behind, it’s to re-emphasize the fact that the symptoms and behaviors of Tourette Syndrome patients are not volitional, and for people to avoid discriminating. “I was teased a lot by the other kids. Especially because I had weird behaviors. But people tease more out of ignorance than anything. If you can provide a little bit of an explanation, that Tourette’s is just another medical disorder, no different than diabetes or broken bones, people will understand.”
“People aren’t judgmental if someone has a broken leg, but people do very much judge others whose behaviors are outside the norm. But these are not volitional. So don’t be so judgmental as to push us away, call us various names, or dismiss us.”
Dr. Doran’s life and advocacy work are truly inspirational. His dedication to helping his students is equally praiseworthy. A role model for students and staff alike, he has spent his entire life helping others better understand both Tourette Syndrome and human anatomy. A surgeon par excellence, a teacher merging the best of old and new academic traditions, and an advocate for a widely misunderstood disease – future physicians will have much to learn from Dr. Doran’s legacy.
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