Dr James R Doty was a Clinical Professor in the Department of Neurosurgery at Stanford University, and the Director of the Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education, which he cofounded with the Dalai Lama. As the Director of CCARE, he spearheaded many research projects on compassion and altruism, and their relationship to the brain. He was also an inventor and philanthropist, sitting on the board of a number of charities, including Friends of New Orleans (FONO) and the Dalai Lama Foundation, of which he was Chairman.

He is the author of the New York Times and international bestseller of Into the Magic Shop (Yellow Kite, 2016), which has now been translated into 40 languages and is the basis for the album, Love Yourself: Tear by K-pop sensation BTS. He passed away in August 2025.