Dr. William Joseph Raum, M.D., Ph.D.

Dr. Raum earned his B.S. and M.A. in the years 1969 and 1970 at Bowling Green State University located in Ohio and continued to further his education at the Medical College of Ohio; receiving his M.D. in the year of 1973 before ultimately returning to Bowling Green State University to acquire his Ph.D. in biochemistry in the year of 1974; concentrating in protein and fat metabolism.

Dr. William J. Raum was highly respected for his extensive commitment to the medical care of bariatric surgical patients. He received his medical training at the Medical College of Ohio at Toledo. Completed his residency at the Kaiser Foundation Hospital in Los Angelos, California, and then was awarded a P.H.S. Post Doctoral Endocrinology Research and Endocrinology Fellowship at UCLA School of Medicine Harbor - UCLA Medical Center.

Following his Post Doctorate he continued to work at Harbor, UCLA as a physician, professor, and researcher for 28 years as the Associate Chief, Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Associate Professor of Medicine.

Prior to joining Oregon Weight Loss Surgery, LLC in 2008, Dr. Raum served as Professor of Clinical Surgery and Medicine at LSU Health Sciences Center where he pursued his research interests focused on: Neuroendocrine and physiological responses to puberty, sexual differentiation, and weight control Mechanisms of surgically induced weight loss.

He then began working under the Department of Surgery New Orleans, Louisiana and became Adjunct Professor of Medicine at Pennington and the Biomedical Research Center in Baton Rouge, Louisiana. He has directed several comprehensive weight management programs in California and Louisiana over the last 20 years.

Dr. Raum was a devout member of several professional organizations including; the American Physiological Society, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Endocrine Society, Obesity Society, American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery, American Medical Association and many more.

In addition to his numerous research contributions, countless published articles, awards and honors, Dr. Raum can be accredited for developing the first Radioimmunoassay for Catecholamines; Enzymatic radioimmunoassay of epinephrine, norepinephrine, metanephrine, and normetanephrine. This method helped to advance the study of brain chemistry related to the control of appetite.

Dr. Raum was a man devoted to science and research, but he was even more devoted to his friends and family, who knew him better as ‘Bill’ or ‘papa’.

In his free time Dr. Raum loved to read and listen to audiobooks; many of which were about the American Civil War and the World Wars as he was quite the history buff. In retirement Dr. Raum longed to travel alongside “his girl”: Sandy, in his RV which was fittingly named the “Rauminator”.

Dr.Raum now reunites with his parents, Helen Raum and George Raum; his sister, Georgine “Jeanie” Wendt; his beloved grandmother, Margaret Decker-Phillips; and his “Boppy” in heaven.

Dr.Raum will be dearly missed by his daughters and their spouses, Kelly Heilmann (Greg), Jennifer Jilka (Michael), Jody Resnick (Samuel), and Kristen Schultz (Ryan); his grandchildren, Tyler, Ryan, and Kaitlyn Heilmann, Eddie and Justin Jilka, Harley Schultz, William “Liam” Resnick; and by his loving wife of 54 years, Sandra Raum.

Dr.Raum will be laid to rest at the Skyline Memorial Gardens Funeral Home and Cemetery at 4101 NW Skyline Blvd., Portland, OR 97229-2602. The Graveside interment will be held privately.

Dr.Raum lived a long, eventful, and exciting life but spent his last years battling lung and adrenal cancer in addition to IBM or Inclusion Body Myositis of which there is little known about and is currently incurable. One of his final wishes was for more research to be conducted on this disease; donations of any and all amounts to help fund research and the development of a cure for this disease are greatly appreciated.

Donations in memory of Dr. William J. Raum include; The Fundraiser for TMA (The Myositis Association) and The Raum Family's Fundraiser on Donorbox, which can be made at the following site:

https://donorbox.org/fundraise-for-tma/fundraiser/the-raum-family