After more than 22 years of groundbreaking work at the John A. Burns School of Medicine (JABSOM), Dr. Richard Allsopp is retiring, leaving behind a legacy of mentoring and advancing research in aging and longevity.
Dr. Allsopp was a faculty member of the Department of Anatomy, Biochemistry, and Physiology, and served as graduate faculty for the Developmental and Reproductive Biology as well as the Cell and Molecular Biology Graduate Programs.
“I started out with a lot of work on aging and stem cells, and a lot of work in mice,” Dr. Allsopp said. “Then I progressed to the human cohort once I met Brad Willcox around 2010. We collaborated on the Honolulu Heart Program, and that’s been very fruitful. It’s led to several NIH grants, including a COBRE grant.”
That longevity research has been among the highlights of Dr. Allsopp’s career. “It certainly helped put human aging and longevity research on the map at JABSOM. Hopefully, the work will continue to grow, even though I won’t be here full-time. I’ll still be collaborating on research in the area.”
Dr. Allsopp was honored at the ABP Annual Retreat on Friday, August 22, 2025, where he shared that his next chapter will take him to Saudi Arabia.
Looking back on his time at JABSOM, Dr. Allsopp says the people stand out most. “I remember way back to my interview when I started, I felt very welcomed,” he said. He also recalls the opening ceremony of the current JABSOM building in 2006 as a career highlight.
When asked why he chose Hawai‘i, Dr. Allsopp pointed to both professional and personal reasons. “It was a good, close-knit group, with a lot of research opportunities,” he said. “Of course, it was Hawai‘i. That certainly factored in as well.”
