Paul Dorman says going into the pharmaceutical business is all about giving back.

“You have to want to love what you do because it’s about helping people,” Dorman, CEO and chairman of DFB Pharmaceuticals, told an audience at Martin Hall earlier this month. “It’s helping people with their quality of life and helping them feel better about themselves and that’s very rewarding.”

Dorman was speaking on Sept. 14; in October he will be honored as the 2017 Fort Worth Business Executive of the Year by the Fort Worth Business Press and the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, according to txwes.edu. The Martin Hall event was an interview and Q and A sponsored by Texas Wesleyan; Dorman discussed the importance of pharmaceuticals in business.

Dorman holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane University and a Juris Doctor of Law from Loyola University.

Dean of Business Hector Quintanilla said that Dorman is “providing the first full-year tuition for the developing class of 60 medical students scheduled to attend the new TCU and UNT Health Science Center beginning in 2019.”

The drug development Dorman was most excited to discuss was a program utilizing nanoparticles of existing chemotherapy drugs to treat cancer cells. Currently, strong chemotherapy drugs are intravenously injected into the patients’ veins, where most vital organs are exposed to their toxicity, according to sciencedaily.com.

“Nanoparticles of the drug will allow direct injection into the cancerous tumor with a minimum or no exposure to the organs,” Dorman said. “We expect this technique to reduce side effects that are correlated with chemotherapy, which are very traumatic to the body.

“If our clinical trials prove the theory out, it can have a very positive impact on people’s lives in the outcome of treating cancer. That’s become a major thing to me, particularly in this stage of my life. With this opportunity, I’m able to give back to improve medical outcomes.”

Dorman is also the largest outside investor in Tabletop Media LLC, which is a company that owns the product, Ziosk.

“I think many of us have had the opportunity to use this product, a tablet which resides in restaurants where guests are able to order food and beverage and pay for their bills and also play games,” Provost and Senior Vice President Allen Henderson said.

Dorman explained how his high school biology teacher encouraged him to go to college.

“When I was going to school in the daytime, I worked at night, and when I went to law school, I was allowed to work flexible hours,” Dorman said. “I really learned that someone helping you help yourself is very important. It was a good lesson in life for me. I enjoy helping people do well.”

Dorman explained the importance of giving back to the healthcare community.

 “If you choose to go into this field, I think you all will find it very gratifying to receive letters from people who had one condition or the other saying thank you for improving their quality of life,” Dorman said. “It’s a form of giving back, which is something we all have a responsibility to do.”