Dr. Russell McDonald

Two years in my childhood changed my life when I lived at the Saguaro National Asthma Foundation while my family lived in Washington State. Beginning in the first year of life I suffered from severe asthma necessitating numerous physician visits, emergency room visits and hospitalizations. My allergist was unable to wean me off oral steroids so he referred me to the Asthma Foundation for an extended inpatient stay. Those two years changed my life by improving my asthma, helping me become active in sports and making me stronger and more independent as an individual.

I graduated from Trinity University with a degree in physics and biophysics but decided I wanted to be a physician and care for children with asthma remembering the wonderful, empathetic care I received from my pediatrician and allergist. I hoped my personal experience, combined with training in asthma and allergy, would enable me to follow in my doctor's footsteps. I was admitted to The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, Texas and then completed a three-year residency in pediatrics at Children's Medical Center Dallas. I've been in private practice since then and every day is a new learning experience.

I've been Chief of Staff at both Medical City Lewisville and Medical City Plano and served on both hospitals' Boards of Trustees. I served as President of the Patient Physician Network, a 700 member physician group, and have served on the Board of Trustees for over ten years. In 2007 I opened the first of four Pediatrics After Hours, which provides urgent care for children.

My greatest professional enjoyment has been watching babies become toddlers, go to school, go to college, become young married adults and bring their children back to me as their pediatrician. In pediatrics, you truly become one of the family.

My personal enjoyment comes from spending time with my grown children and their families. I love sports and have been a runner for many years, one marathon, and enjoyed coaching youth sports. My wife, Jeanne, and I have been married 42 years and love to travel.

We have three grown children:

Meghan, who is an anesthesiologist, and her husband Wayne, an oral surgeon, have twin five year old children, Claire and Archer.

Drew, a real estate attorney, and his wife Taryn, who is a health care attorney, have a four year old daughter, Madison.

Ryan, a Masters in History and also in Library Science and Information Management.

I still have asthma, take medicine every day but it's not slowed me down.​ ​