Her primary research interests include the prevention and treatment of diabetes, chronic illness and health promotion. She was also the principal investigator for the “Teaching Acceptance to Chronically Ill Older Adults,” “The Beauty for Ashes” projects, and co-investigator for the Parent Grant program with Dr. Jaclene Zauzniewski. Dr. McDonald earned her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing from The Ohio State University, and her doctorate in Nursing from Case Western Reserve University. She completed a post-doctoral fellowship at Henry Ford Health Systems in Detroit, Michigan.