Dr. Donlon’s main research interests are the genetics of aging, complex genetic disorders, pharmacogenetics, cancer genetics, and molecular cytogenetics. He is a key investigator on the Pacific Genetic Epidemiologic Study on Aging, a comprehensive, multidisciplinary research effort to identify genetic influences on longevity.

Dr. Donlon received his Ph.D. in Medical Genetics from the Oregon Health Sciences University in 1984, after which he was awarded a Human Genetics Fellowship at Boston Children's Hospital. Dr. Donlon is certified in Medical Genetics, Clinical Molecular Genetics and Clinical Cytogenetics by the American Board of Medical Genetics. He previously founded the Molecular and Cytogenetics Laboratory at Stanford Medical Center and the Molecular and Clinical Cytogenetics Laboratory at the Kapiolani Women and Children’s Hospital, and he is Chairman of chromosome 15 for the Human Genome Organization. 

Dr. Donlon received NL Tartar Research Fellowship awards in 1981 and 1982 and an award for research from the Boston Medical Foundation in 1986. He is a member of the American Society of Human Genetics and the American College of Medical Genetics. He currently holds appointments as Director of the Molecular Genetics and Cytogenetics Laboratories at the Queen’s Medical Center in Honolulu and as Director of the Genetics Research Laboratory at Kuakini Medical Center. He is also an Associate Professor of Pathology and Cell & Molecular Biology at the University of Hawaii John A. Burns School of Medicine.