Hugh D. Riordan

Hugh Desiax Riordan M.D. (May 7, 1932 – January 7, 2005) was an American psychiatrist and researcher. He was the co-founder and, until his death, the director of the Olive W. Garvey Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning (now called the Riordan Clinic). He was best known for his belief that nutrition and vitamins are effective treatments for diseases such as cancer. This approach to patient care is known as orthomolecular medicine and is dismissed by the mainstream medical community.

Dr. Hugh Riordan was born in Milwaukee, WI on May 7, 1932. He received his Bachelor of Science from the University of Wisconsin in 1954 and proceeded with his MD in 1957 specializing in psychiatry. Completing his formal training with an internship at St. Francis Regional Medical Center led to the establishment of his home in Wichita, KS. Riordan had staff positions at St. Francis Regional Medical Center, St. Joseph Medical Center and Wesley Medical Center. He would later co-found, with Olive W. Garvey, the Center for the Improvement of Human Functioning International, Inc. in Wichita, KS. During his time at the Center, he also served as Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Preventative Medicine at the University of Kansas Medical Center and at the University of Puerto Rico School of Medicine in San Juan.

Over the course of his career, he wrote four books, several papers and many publications on the topic of medicine. He was a recipient of the 2002 Linus Pauling Award from the American College for Advancement in Medicine.

Riordan died unexpectedly on January 7, 2005. His success in the field of medicine as an educator and health-care advocate was honored with the creation of an endowed chair at the University of Kansas in his name.

Riordan's High dose vitamin C injections have been met with controversy. Riordan has also been criticized for his work with orthomolecular medicine, a type of alternative medicine.

1. Hugh Desaix Riordan M.D. (1988). Medical Mavericks, Vol. 1. Wichita, Kansas: Bio-Communications Press. ISBN 0-942333-07-1. 
2. Hugh Desaix Riordan M.D. (1989). Medical Mavericks, Vol. 2. Wichita, Kansas: Bio-Communications Press. ISBN 0-942333-09-8. 
3. Hugh Desaix Riordan M.D. (1992). Desafiando a Medicina, Os Desbravadores que Derrubaram os Dogmas da Saude. Gaia, Brazil. 
4. Hugh Desaix Riordan M.D. (2005). Medical Mavericks, Vol. 3. Wichita, Kansas: Bio-Communications Press. ISBN 0-942333-13-6.