Richard K. Donabedian, MD

Professor Emeritus Richard Kasper Donabedian, MD, a longtime faculty member in the Department of Laboratory Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, passed away at Connecticut Hospice in Branford, Connecticut, at the age of 89.
Dr. Donabedian grew up in Worcester, Massachusetts, profoundly influenced by his mother, a survivor of the Armenian genocide-a legacy that instilled in him enduring values of resilience, integrity, and compassion. An accomplished student-athlete, he played on his high school football team before attending Clark University. He earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis in 1962, followed by a transitional year internship at the same institution. His early career included service with the United States Public Health Service at the National Institutes of Health, where from 1966 to 1968 he conducted important research on lipid metabolism. He completed his Laboratory Medicine training at Yale-New Haven Hospital, serving as Chief Resident, and began a lifelong association with Yale.
In 1969, Dr. Donabedian joined the Yale School of Medicine as Assistant Professor and Assistant Director of the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory. His leadership, expertise, and commitment to excellence earned him promotion to Professor and Director in 1978, when Dr. Peter Jatlow became Chair of the Department of Laboratory Medicine. In these roles, he combined exceptional clinical skill with visionary leadership, shaping the laboratory into a model of innovation and quality that served patients and clinicians alike.
His clinical and academic interests focused on endocrinology and clinical chemistry, with particular expertise in diabetes and hyperparathyroidism. He pioneered the introduction of the intraoperative parathyroid hormone assay at Yale-New Haven Hospital-a significant advancement that greatly improved surgical outcomes for patients with hyperparathyroidism-and played a key role in expanding the parathyroid surgery program led by Dr. Robert Udelsman. As Director of the Clinical Chemistry Laboratory, he was deeply committed to ensuring the highest quality standards and rapid turnaround times. He led the transition to automated commercial instrumentation, creating a highly efficient and reliable laboratory that continues to provide 24/7/365 services for Yale-New Haven Hospital and its affiliated institutions to this day.
A devoted educator, Dr. Donabedian served for many years as Director of Medical Studies, Member of the Admissions Committee at Yale School of Medicine, as well as mentoring and advising generations of Yale medical students. He briefly directed the medical microbiology course before Dr. Stephan Edberg assumed the role and was also active in resident recruitment.
In recognition of his parents, Dr. Donabedian established a scholarship for Yale medical students and expressed his wish to leave his estate to Yale School of Medicine to further support medical education.
He will be remembered for his meticulous clinical work, his dedication to students, and his collegial generosity.
Friends may attend his Graveside Service on Wednesday, August 20, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. at the Hope Cemetery, Section 98E, 119 Webster Street, Worcester, MA 01603, near his parents Martin and Rose (Sagarian) Donabedian. Arrangements are in care of Beecher & Bennett Funeral Home, 2300 Whitney Ave, Hamden, CT.