Don Catlin

Dr. Catlin’s reputation is based on his 26 years

of experience at the forefront of anti-doping research and testing. He founded the UCLA Olympic Analytical Laboratory in 1982 and oversaw the drug testing at the 1984 Summer Olympic Games in Los Angeles. This was the first IOC-accredited lab in the United States and only the fourth in the world. Under his 25-year stewardship as director, the UCLA Olympic Lab gained WADA accreditation and grew to become the world’s largest testing facility.

At the lab, Dr. Catlin oversaw the testing for the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City, the 1994 Soccer World Cup, and the testing of anabolic agents at the 1996 Summer Games in Atlanta. He has also performed testing on behalf of the U.S. Olympic Committee, NCAA, Major League Baseball’s minor leagues, and the National Football League.

Dr. Catlin is also noted for his breakthroughs in anti-doping research. He led the analytic work behind the BALCO scandal, which involved identifying the designer anabolic steroid THG, aka “The Clear”. He also developed the testing methodology that differentiates natural from artificial testosterone; inaugurated the test for darbepoetin, a long-acting form of the blood booster medicine EPO; and was the first to report the use of a designer anabolic steroid (norboloethone) in sport.
Years ago, Dr. Catlin recognized that athletes who take undocumented supplements are at risk for positive doping tests. He learned in hearings over positive test results how some athletes were caught unwittingly in these disasters. Since then, he has sought to remove these insidious products from the marketplace, while at the same time offering services to support those legitimate and honest companies – some of whom also have troubles unwittingly due to poor supply lines. In addition to lecturing about these tragedies, he published a widely read paper in the Journal of the American Medical Association, which called attention to the problem of undocumented supplements for the entire scientific community.

Dr. Don Catlin’s unparalleled experience in the field of anti-doping science greatly adds to the relevance, gravitas and respect that the BSCG program enjoys with the athletic community and wider public.