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Mark McDonald

  • Department of Radiation Oncology
    Professor
Head shot of Mark McDonald

Overview

Mark McDonald, MD, is a board certified radiation oncologist specializing in the treatment of head and neck, gastrointestinal and lung cancers, skull base tumors, and tumors of the brain and spine. He has extensive experience with proton therapy and serves as the Medical Director of the Emory Proton Therapy Center.

Dr. McDonald completed his medical school education at The Ohio State University and his residency training at Emory University School of Medicine, where he served as chief resident. In 2009, he was recruited to Indiana University and worked at the Indiana University Health Proton Therapy Center, providing proton therapy primarily to patients with skull base, head and neck, and brain tumors. He returned to Emory to join the Department of Radiation Oncology in September 2015.

Dr. McDonald is a past recipient of the Young Oncologist Essay Award from the American Radium Society, and the Roentgen Resident/Fellow Research Award from the Radiological Society of North America. His research has been recognized in the clinical practice guidelines of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, and the Database of Abstracts of Reviews of Effects, a repository of quality systematic reviews that evaluate the effects of healthcare interventions.

Dr. McDonalds clinical research focuses on the use of advanced radiation technologies with a special interest in patient outcomes and side effects of treatment. In his past role at Indiana University, he developed and served as principal investigator for a prospective registry for proton therapy clinical outcomes and long-term follow-up. This protocol created a framework to ensure continuity of follow-up and quality outcomes data for patients, and expanded the use of proton therapy to patients with a wider array of diagnoses.

Dr. McDonald has authored and coauthored over 40 research publications and other peer-reviewed articles. He has presented numerous abstracts and served as a faculty member at many national and international scientific meetings. He is frequently invited to be a speaker on proton therapy.

Academic Appointment

  • Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, Emory University School of Medicine

Education

Degrees

  • MD from Ohio State University, Columbus
  • BA from Xavier University, Cincinnati

Research

Publications

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