Alumni
Profiles of Success
Donald E. Clayton, M.D.
Allergist/Internist
Arnett Clinic
B.S. Biology 1972, Purdue
Donald Clayton entered the biology curriculum at Purdue with an eye on becoming a doctor. Outside of class, his interests were quite diverse--he was a trombone player in the Purdue All American Band from 1968 to 1969, and he also conducted research in neurobiology by using giant squid axons and transmembrane nerve potentials to study the affects of drugs. A member of Phi Beta Kappa honor society and the biology honors program, Don graduated with honors upon completion of his degree.
"I credit Purdue University with having provided the foundation for my continued education and skill development"
After earning his bachelors degree, Don attended Indiana University School of Medicine, where he completed work toward his M.D. in 1975. After graduation he was offered a residency at the University of Wisconsin in Internal Medicine, and later completed a fellowship there in Allergy and Clinical Immunology. Don became a clinical instructor at the Wisconsin Medical School from 1979-1980, and then went into private practice as an internist/allergist at Arnett Clinic, in Lafayette, Indiana. In 1990 his efforts on behalf of the clinic were recognized when he was appointed medical director, and he served in that capacity for eleven years. He is now in full time practice at Arnett Clinic in Adult and Pediatric allergy asthma and clinical immunology. He also serves on the Arnett Clinic Board of Directors, the Clinic’s clinical research committee, and as chairman of the Department of Allergy and Immunology.
When Don arrives for work in the morning, he makes hospital rounds and then spends several hours in his office seeing patients. The next 6 to 8 hours are spent fulfilling his duties as medical director. Arnett Clinic is the largest multispecialty clinic in Indiana with 150 physicians and 18 sites across the state. In his role as Director, Don supervises and manages the quality of health care provided by the clinic to its patients, oversees clinical research, physician education, the employment and recruitment of physicians and nurse practitioners, and acts as spokesperson for the clinic. Other responsibilities include serving as chairman of the Quality Assurance Committee and as director of provider recruitment, as well as developing a work plan and schedule for the board of directors. Furthermore, he acts as a medical consultant for malpractice and risk management concerns.
Outside of his work at the clinic, Don participates in a number of other activities. Currently he is serving on the board of directors of the Group Practice Improvement Network, which is a national organization devoted to quality improvement efforts of large medical clinics, and is also an assistant clinical professor at IU Medical School, teaching medical students at the Purdue campus. He additionally serves on the St. Mary Cathedral Parish Council, has remained an active member of the Purdue Alumni Association, and has been involved in Alumni College Abroad.
Don's experiences at Purdue provided him with technical and personal relations skills that he uses everyday on the job. "I credit Purdue University with having provided the foundation for my continued education and skill development," he states. The greatest lesson he learned was the excitement of continued learning and the discipline of making learning new skills a daily part of his life. "The School of Science at Purdue in the premed program allowed for a solid science background as well as a liberal arts education that was invaluable," says Don. "The combination of learning scientific reasoning as well as wide exposure to social science disciplines prepared me for the wide range of activities necessary as a physician and medical manager of a large health care delivery system."
Don tells students to study hard, but to also "take time to develop relationships at the university which can end of affecting your vocational choices throughout your life." He adds, "the human resources available to students among both professors and graduate students are invaluable and often a once in a lifetime opportunity".