When Dr. Donley graduated from Chartiers Valley High School in 1982, he knew he wanted to be a chemical engineer or a doctor. Ultimately deciding to become a doctor, Dr. Donley pursued a premed major at Notre Dame and then went to the University of Michigan Medical School. Upon graduating from Medical School, he began his residency in orthopaedic surgery at the University of Michigan followed by a fellowship in orthopaedic foot and ankle surgery at the Campbell Clinic, University of Tennessee. Dr. Donley completed his fellowship and joined the Cleveland Clinic’s Orthopaedic and Rheumatologic Institute in 1996.
“The Cleveland Clinic was a great match for me because I could practice foot and ankle orthopaedics and be involved with teaching, research and innovation.”
Today Dr. Donley serves as the Vice President of Regional Hospitals and Chief of Regional Hospital Medical Affairs and Quality at the Cleveland Clinic. He also continues his role as an educator, researcher and innovator.
As an educator, Dr. Donley has had many opportunities to teach medical students and residents how to be an orthopaedic surgeon. He has also traveled to 25 different countries to both teach and learn orthopaedics.
“I really enjoy speaking and teaching other orthopaedic surgeons locally, nationally and internationally,” said Dr. Donley. “I’ve also operated in 10 different countries and really enjoy international work.”
As a researcher and innovator, he has developed products that will help patients with their foot and ankle problems. With three patents, Dr. Donley is paving the way for other surgeons. Dr. Donley worked with an international team to develop an ankle replacement. He was then the first person in the country to put the ankle replacement in a patient in 2006.
Throughout his incredibly successful career, Dr. Donley has drawn on his experiences at Chartiers Valley to understand and utilize the value that every person brings to work each day.
“I value my time growing up in the Chartiers Valley School District. It’s where I learned to see the good that’s within all people,” said Dr. Donley. “I learned how to interact with people and enjoy them.”
Dr. Donley lives in Cleveland with his wife and three sons, ages 20, 17 and 14. Dr. Donley and his wife chose to send their sons to public school in Cleveland in part because of the great experience he had at Chartiers Valley.
“I look back with great memories of my time at Chartiers Valley,” said Dr. Donley. “A lot of the success I have had in my professional career is impacted by my education at Chartiers Valley.”
Today, Dr. Donley is giving back to the school district through the Chartiers Valley Education Foundation. He and his family established a grant in honor of Mr. Jerome Koziak, who was an elementary math teacher and the Primary School principal before he retired. The purpose of this grant is to inspire high quality, innovative instruction at Chartiers Valley. All CV teachers will be able to apply for this $500 grant every year.
