About Kevin Dooley, MD
Kevin Dooley, MD, is the founder, chairman, and sole author of Cure IBM. He is a retired ophthalmologist, a graduate of Harvard Medical School, and a person living with inclusion body myositis.
Cure IBM is an independent nonprofit website and advocacy organization focused specifically on inclusion body myositis. Dr. Dooley created Cure IBM to provide clear, practical, evidence-based information about IBM, while also supporting research, fundraising, and public awareness.
His work on Cure IBM draws on medical training, clinical experience, personal experience with IBM, and ongoing involvement in IBM research and advocacy.
Medical and Professional Background
Dr. Dooley graduated from Harvard Medical School, completed specialty training in ophthalmology, and became board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology. He practiced ophthalmology for many years before retiring from clinical practice.
He formerly served as Chief of Ophthalmology at Kaiser South Sacramento Medical Center.
Dr. Dooley also served as an oral examiner for the American Board of Ophthalmology. In that role, he helped evaluate physicians seeking board certification in ophthalmology, including their ability to reason through clinical problems, interpret clinical findings, and apply medical knowledge to patient care.
Dr. Dooley’s medical training and clinical career gave him extensive experience reading medical literature, evaluating evidence, explaining complex medical problems, and distinguishing established knowledge from uncertainty. Those skills help shape the way Cure IBM presents information about inclusion body myositis.
Personal Experience with Inclusion Body Myositis
Dr. Dooley lives with inclusion body myositis. He knows from personal experience what it means to lose the ability to walk, drive a car, cook, and put on his own shoes. He also knows how life with a disability can still be fun and productive, especially if you learn from others, use adaptive aids, and accept help. These experiences, together with his medical background, shape the way he writes about IBM.
Writing for Cure IBM
Cure IBM is written for patients, families, caregivers, clinicians, and donors. Dr. Dooley aims to explain inclusion body myositis clearly, accurately, and in enough depth to be helpful to readers seeking more than a brief overview, while also being useful to physicians and other health professionals who may be unfamiliar with the disease.
IBM Research Involvement
Dr. Dooley is a coauthor of two research papers on inclusion body myositis. Through Cure IBM, he has also helped recruit patients for IBM research studies and publicize research participation opportunities.
Research Fundraising and Support
Dr. Dooley initiated dedicated IBM research funds at Johns Hopkins University and Washington University in St. Louis, contributed his own money, and used Cure IBM to recruit additional donors.
He also took the lead in bringing inclusion body myositis to the Million Dollar Bike Ride program at the University of Pennsylvania, applying to field an IBM team, recruiting riders, fundraisers, and donors, and helping raise support for IBM research grants. This work was a team effort, and Dr. Dooley is grateful to the other riders, fundraisers, and donors who made it possible.
More recently, Dr. Dooley is one of the founders of the Cure IBM Research Fund, administered by The Myositis Association. The fund was created to support research focused specifically on inclusion body myositis and to help bring more scientific attention to the disease.
Public Education and Awareness
Through Cure IBM, Dr. Dooley has worked to increase awareness of inclusion body myositis through public education, media coverage, and practical patient-focused outreach.
IBM Representation in Film
During the making of Father Stu, Dr. Dooley provided input to actor Mark Wahlberg and director Rosalind Ross about the portrayal of a man affected by inclusion body myositis. He is credited in the film for this assistance. His goal was to help the film portray IBM in a way that patients with the disease would recognize.
Documentation for This Page
The following links provide documentation for selected professional, research, fundraising, and media-related information described on this page.
Medical Background and Credentials
American Board of Ophthalmology — Board Certification Verification for Kevin Dooley, MD
Research Publications
Dr. Dooley is listed as a coauthor on the following IBM research papers:
Research Fundraising and Support
Cure IBM donation page — history of Cure IBM research-funding efforts, including the IBM Research Fund at Johns Hopkins University and the Washington University fund now known as the Weihl IBM Research Fund
Johns Hopkins Medicine — IBM Research Fund supporting Dr. Tom Lloyd’s inclusion body myositis research
Washington University in St. Louis — Weihl IBM Research Fund donation page
Clinical utility of anti-cytosolic 5’-nucleotidase 1A antibody in idiopathic inflammatory myopathies — published paper acknowledging support from the Cure IBM Research Fund at Washington University
Exploring hand and upper limb function in patients with inclusion body myositis — published paper acknowledging Cure IBM-related research funding at Washington University
Orphan Disease Center, University of Pennsylvania — inclusion body myositis grants awarded through the Million Dollar Bike Ride
PRWeb release — Team Cure IBM fundraising effort for the 2019 Million Dollar Bike Ride grant
Research Outreach Through Cure IBM
Cure IBM has helped publicize selected research surveys and patient-participation efforts. As one documented example, published COVAD papers acknowledge Cure IBM as one of the organizations that helped disseminate these surveys to patients. These myositis-related publications addressed topics including:
Health-related quality of life
Gender differences in treatment
Multimorbidity and quality of life
Global disparities in treatment
COVID-19 severity and vaccine breakthrough infections
Disease flares following COVID-19 vaccination
Flares after COVID-19 infection
COVID-19 breakthrough infections
Short term COVID-19 adverse vaccine events
Example of Cure IBM outreach:
External Academic References to Cure IBM
2025 MDPI review article citing Cure IBM’s page on the new ENMC criteria for inclusion body myositis
External Links to Cure IBM
Cure IBM has also been referenced by outside medical, academic, and rare-disease resources, including Johns Hopkins, the University of Washington, and the Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center. These links reflect the site’s role as a resource focused specifically on inclusion body myositis.
Johns Hopkins page linking to Cure IBM
University of Washington page linking to Cure IBM
Public Education and Media
Device Development and Patient Input
Dr. Dooley helped test an IBM-adapted prototype of the IndeeLift fall-recovery device and created educational material showing practical ways people with IBM could use the device.
Myositis Support and Understanding: IndeeLift fall-recovery device and IBM patient input
IBM in Film: Father Stu
During the making of Father Stu, Dr. Dooley provided input to actor Mark Wahlberg and director Rosalind Ross about the portrayal of a man affected by inclusion body myositis. He is credited in the film for this assistance.
Father Stu credits page listing Kevin Dooley, MD among those thanked by the producers
IMDb biography noting Dr. Dooley’s advisory role in Father Stu and his work with Cure IBM
Professional Profile
by Kevin Dooley, MD
June 30, 2026