Mcdonald, M.D., Dr. John S.
A beacon of light in academic medicine, Dr. John S. Mcdonald, M.D., known to his friends and family as Jack, passed away, on August 27, 2021, at his home in Rolling Hills, California. He is survived and will be deeply missed by his wife of 44 years Deborah Mcdonald, his 4 children, Doug, Collin, Jeff and Michelle, their 4 spouses, his 9 grandchildren, sisterin-law, two brothers-in-law and numerous other family, friends and colleagues. Jack will be remembered for his immediate and genuine smile, mischievous sense of humor, sharp intellect, considerable contributions to medicine and countless lives saved. Jack devoted his life to the care and wellbeing of others, pioneering the use of the epidural in labor and delivery, revolutionizing newborn respiratory care, and developing new technology and treatments to safeguard patient airways and cure pain. Deeply compassionate, he treated his patients like family and dedicated his career to improving medical care and sharing advancements and discoveries among his colleagues around the world as a renown author, lecturer, teacher, and Chairman of Departments of Anesthesiology at The Ohio State University and Harbor UCLA. Jack was born on March 9, 1938 in Oskaloosa, Iowa. A consummate scholar-athlete, he was valedictorian of his high school class, as well as an all-american triple sport standout in football, basketball and track. Dubbed the “Osky Ace” in frequent stories by local papers, he was an unstoppable force on the field and court and in his senior year set the fastest recorded 120 Yard High Hurdle time in Iowa history at 14.6 seconds (a record that would stand for twelve years). These early demonstrations of his determination and passion that he applied to everything he did led him to be awarded the Nile Kinnick Scholarship for an outstanding student athlete to attend the University of Iowa, where he would go on to play football and track and begin his lifelong study of medicine. He completed his undergraduate degree and medical school at the University of Iowa and went on to complete residencies in Obstetrics and Gynecology at the University of Iowa and Anesthesiology at the University of Washington in Seattle, becoming board
certified in both Anesthesiology and Obstetrics and Gynecology. His rare dual
board certification gave
him unique perspective that propelled him to be a trailblazer in improving methods for protecting airways and for pain relief,
developing one of the first
ventilators for newborns, and shaping new methods to address pelvic pain and the cellular response to chronic pain. In September of 1970 he was appointed chief of Anesthesiology and Respiratory Therapy at the Women’s Hospital of LA County / USC, the busiest labor and delivery unit in the country, which handled roughly 5% of all newborn deliveries in the nation. During this time, he developed a deep concern for the respiratory struggles of premature babies, and in 1972, he and his colleagues opened at the hospital one of the
first neonatal intensive
care units in the country and dramatically reduced infant mortality. Shortly thereafter, he began what would become a 30-year span of medical conferences bringing together the highest quality speakers in the word to educate for neonatal resuscitation and the use of the epidural in labor and delivery and pain management. Through this work, writings and meetings, which continued throughout his appointments at hospitals in Oregon, Washington, Colorado, and Ohio, he and his colleagues caused a
sudden and significant drop
in infant mortality from re
spiratory distress, influenza
and pneumonia, which has resulted in steadily rates of reductions of these causes of infant mortality across the nation every year thereafter. In 1978, he became the youngest department chairman in the country when he was appointed Chairman of Anesthesiology at the Ohio State
University, a department he would continue to lead for more than 20 years. While Chairman at OSU, Jack continued his passion for pain relief, teaching, and developing technology by starting and growing the University’s Anesthesiology research and residency program, founding the
University’s first multidisciplinary pain treatment center, and partnering with the Ohio Supercomputer Center to develop a virtual reality epidural teaching technology for which he was awarded the Smithsonian Institution’s and Computer World’s collaborative award to recognize heroes of technological innovation. Throughout these endeavors he continued to remain
a prolific reader of medical journals, an active lecturer, and author of numerous medical texts and chapters. In 2000, he became Chair of Anesthesia at Harbor-ucla, where he breathed new life into the department and Anesthesiology residency program, and continued until his retirement in December 2012. During this time, he continued his groundbreaking work in the treatment of chronic and pelvic pain through his private practice and as a professor at UCLA medical center, where he taught at the UCLA Pelvic Pain Clinic. Jack dedicated his career of more than 40 years to relieving the suffering of others and always brought messages of hope to his patients that through the darkest times there would come a light. He brought joy to every room he entered with an effortless comforting smile and genuine concern for everyone he met. He greatly enjoyed caring for and riding horses (at one time serving as a member of the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s mounted posse), and was a playful companion and friend, and a champion and cheerleader for his children and grand children. He enjoyed his family, friends and life to its fullest and will be missed. In honor of his exceptional life and in his memory, donations can be to the Ohio State Anesthesia Research and Education fund.