Mark McDonald serves as System VP of Pediatric Medical Affairs and Medical Director of Norton Children’s.  He is the operational leader for pediatric affairs at Norton Healthcare (NHC) with additional focus on quality assurance, medical education, residency and fellowship programs, ensuring medical staff compliance to rules and regulations, regulatory compliance, and consultation on medical affairs with the Hospitals’ and University of Louisville leadership. He collaborates with the Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at UofL, the hospital CAOs, and the VP of Pediatric Services for NHC.

     Dr. McDonald returned to NHC in 2010 after practicing pediatric critical care for 9 years in South Carolina.  In 2015, he became Medical Director of Norton Children’s Hospital.   He still practices clinically in the Jennifer Lawrence Cardiac Intensive Care Unit outside of his administrative duties.  Dr. McDonald has recently focused on emergency department (ED) ‘Pediatric Readiness’ in the state of Kentucky and serves on the Kentucky Pediatric Emergency Care Coalition (KPECC) and KPECC state steering committee.

     Dr. McDonald completed college at Drury University and medical school at St. Louis University.  He completed his pediatric residency in 1998 and pediatric critical care fellowship in 2001, both at Norton Children’s Hospital and the University of Louisville. He completed acupuncture training at the University of Harvard before returning to Louisville in 2010.  He previously practiced pediatric acupuncture, pediatric critical care and served as Medical Director of the Just for Kids Critical Care Center.  Dr. McDonald is married, has three children, and spends his free time with his family.