Susan MacDonald

Dr. Susan MacDonald has worked in palliative care for over thirty years. She first completed a BScN at McMaster University and worked as a community health nurse. She then obtained an MD at McMaster University, followed by a residency in Family Medicine at Queens and two fellowships in Palliative Medicine (University of Alberta and Harvard Medical School). She is Medical Director, Palliative Care, Eastern Health (St John’s, NL). She currently holds the rank of Associate Professor of Medicine and Family Medicine. She is an enthusiastic educator of patients, students, colleagues and allied health professions which has been acknowledged in the form of four teaching awards from the Discipline of Medicine, at Memorial University. Her research includes the use of electronic monitoring of symptoms. Currently, she is one of the lead investigators tasked with implementing the BASE eConsult program to Newfoundland and Labrador. Dr. MacDonald maintains a clinical practice solely in palliative care. She serves on the Board and several committees of the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Newfoundland and Labrador. She co-wrote the College policy on MAID and serves as a Liaison to the College of Registered Nurses of Newfoundland and Labrador. She also served on the committee that wrote the policy for Advanced Directives for Eastern Health. Nationally, she spent eight years on the Board of the Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians, and was President during the two years when MAiD became legal.

In addition to her academic medical career, Dr. MacDonald is also a writer who has published several novels that in turn have been nominated and won literary awards.

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