He is an inventor and entrepreneur as well as a Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University School of Medicine. As a philanthropist, Dr. Doty supports a number of charitable organizations supporting peace initiatives and providing healthcare throughout the world. He also supports a variety of research initiatives and has provided scholarships and endowed chairs at multiple universities.

He is on the Board of a number of non-profit organizations including the Dalai Lama Foundation of which he is Chairman and the Association of Medical Ethics. Dr. Doty is also on the Senior Advisory Board of the Council of the Parliament of the World's Religions