In Memoriam
Roy Doumani
Professor of Molecular & Medical Pharmacology
UC Los Angeles
1935-2019
Roy Doumani was a visionary, financier, philanthropist and educator. Business associates, students, friends and family members will remember Mr. Doumani for his imagination, generosity of spirit, integrity and wisdom. A graduate of UCLA and USC law school, Mr. Doumani’s career was varied and eclectic. He was active in international banking, real estate, nanotechnology, healthcare and education.
At the time of his death he was Executive Director of the Business of Science Center at UCLA, Professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, Director and Vice-Chairman of Xiamen International Bank in the People’s Republic of China, and a guiding force for numerous startup companies.
Perhaps chief among his passions was mentoring young entrepreneurs. He took an active interest in their lives and careers, sharing his experience with them and nurturing their skills. Unfailingly accessible to all, he provided a quality of counsel that earned not only gratitude and respect, but lasting friendship.
Those who worked with Mr. Doumani knew him as a man who valued fairness and honesty, who brought endless energy and intellect to every project, and who threaded humor into negotiations when it was most needed. Never seeking the limelight, Mr. Doumani quietly leaves a rich legacy of human betterment through his efforts in support of medical innovation.
A lifelong devotee of UCLA, Mr. Doumani served on the school’s Board of Governors and endowed two academic chairs, in Urological Oncology and Medical and Molecular Pharmacology. He served on the board of the Norton Simon Museum for more than a decade and donated art to museums and institutions across the country. In 1978 Mr. Doumani and his wife, Carol, engaged sculptor Robert Graham to design their home in Marina del Rey. The house, which incorporates the work of reknown artists in its structure, is a legendary celebration of artistic collaboration. More recently, the Doumanis worked with architect Frank Gehry to build a second house near their home, for the pleasure of its creation and to enjoy as a living art piece. These projects, together with his lifelong passion for travel, reflect the spirit of a man with a twinkle in his eye, who was adventurous, imaginative, courageous and compassionate, and who will be remembered with enduring regard and love.
Michael E. Phelps
Alex Shen
At the time of his death he was Executive Director of the Business of Science Center at UCLA, Professor at UCLA’s David Geffen School of Medicine, Director and Vice-Chairman of Xiamen International Bank in the People’s Republic of China, and a guiding force for numerous startup companies.
Perhaps chief among his passions was mentoring young entrepreneurs. He took an active interest in their lives and careers, sharing his experience with them and nurturing their skills. Unfailingly accessible to all, he provided a quality of counsel that earned not only gratitude and respect, but lasting friendship.
Those who worked with Mr. Doumani knew him as a man who valued fairness and honesty, who brought endless energy and intellect to every project, and who threaded humor into negotiations when it was most needed. Never seeking the limelight, Mr. Doumani quietly leaves a rich legacy of human betterment through his efforts in support of medical innovation.
A lifelong devotee of UCLA, Mr. Doumani served on the school’s Board of Governors and endowed two academic chairs, in Urological Oncology and Medical and Molecular Pharmacology. He served on the board of the Norton Simon Museum for more than a decade and donated art to museums and institutions across the country. In 1978 Mr. Doumani and his wife, Carol, engaged sculptor Robert Graham to design their home in Marina del Rey. The house, which incorporates the work of reknown artists in its structure, is a legendary celebration of artistic collaboration. More recently, the Doumanis worked with architect Frank Gehry to build a second house near their home, for the pleasure of its creation and to enjoy as a living art piece. These projects, together with his lifelong passion for travel, reflect the spirit of a man with a twinkle in his eye, who was adventurous, imaginative, courageous and compassionate, and who will be remembered with enduring regard and love.
Michael E. Phelps
Alex Shen
