March 12, 2018 — Brian Dorn, Ph.D. ‘03, J.D. ’03, spoke with students and faculty Monday afternoon about his career path, his current work with intellectual property and the true value of a Ph.D.

For Dorn, who received degrees from both the UF Fredric G. Levin College of Law and the UF College of Medicine, working to earn his Ph.D. taught him more than the science of microbiology.

“A Ph.D. is beneficial in any career,” he said. “You learn strategies to attack problems and how to find the right resources to answer your questions. A Ph.D. shows you what you don’t yet know and sets you along the path to finding those answers.”

Dorn currently works for Naples-based orthopedic medical device company Arthrex Inc. as senior intellectual property counsel. From patenting new products to conducting due diligence in investigations into litigation and potential acquisitions, Dorn’s work keeps him at the forefront of technological innovation. He’s worked with entities as diverse as Prestone antifreeze, cancer treatments like Avastin and Herceptin and transgenic zebrafish.