Donald J. Lao, DO

Donald J. Lao, DO, a board-eligible orthopedic surgeon, is a native of Utah and joined The Colorado Center for Orthopedic Excellence in 2023. His clinical expertise is in primary and complex revision hip and knee replacement, prosthetic joint infections, and orthopedic trauma, particularly fractures occurring around hip and knee replacements. He pursued additional fellowship training in minimally invasive hip and knee replacement surgery, including anterior approach total hip arthroplasty, partial knee replacement, and robotic-assisted hip and knee surgery. Dr. Lao graduated from Lewis-Clark State College in Lewiston, ID, where he was a captain and all-conference selection for the varsity basketball team. He graduated with a degree in biology and a minor in chemistry. He then obtained his medical degree at A.T. Still University in Mesa, AZ, where he was selected to the Sigma Sigma Phi osteopathic service fraternity and served as his school’s chapter president for two years. He was also selected to the Gold Humanism Honor Society. He completed his orthopedic internship and residency at Research Medical Center, affiliated with Kansas City University, and served as chief resident in his final year. He then completed a rigorous fellowship in hip and knee replacement and orthopedic trauma through the University of Minnesota at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN. Dr. Lao is a member of the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons, the American Osteopathic Academy of Orthopedics, the American Association of Hip and Knee Surgeons, and an Emerging Leader in the American Orthopedic Association. In his free time, Dr. Lao enjoys getting outdoors and spending time with his wife, daughter, and dog. Education

• Fellowship: University of Minnesota/Regions Hospital Combined Adult Reconstruction and Trauma fellowship in St. Paul, MN, under Dr. Scott Marston and Dr. Peter Cole
• Residency: Research Medical Center July 2017 – June 2022
  • Orthopedic Surgery Residency Program
  • Kansas City University. Kansas City, MO
  • Program Director: Charles Orth, DO
• Medical School: MD: A.T. Still University – School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona July 2013 – May 2017 Mesa, AZ
• Undergraduate School: BS: Lewis-Clark State College, Lewiston, ID. August 2010 – May 2012 – BS Biology, Chemistry minor, University of Alaska Anchorage, Anchorage, AK August 2009 – May 2010, Snow College, Ephraim, UT August 2007 – May 2009

Board Certifications

• Board-Eligible – American Board of Orthopedic Surgeons (ABOS)

Memberships & Organizations

• Gold Humanism Honor Society member 2015 – Present