Faculty Feature: Eileen M. McDonald

Eileen M. McDonald, MS is a Practice Professor at the Bloomberg School of Public Health, holding joint appointments with the Department of Health, Behavior and Society and Health Policy and Management. She is a core faculty member of the Center for Injury Research and Policy and affiliated with the Armstrong Institute for Patient Safety. Ms. McDonald uses education, communication, product design, policy, and professional development to create a healthier and safer world, especially for children. 

How did you get into the field of injury research?  

My career in injury research was instigated by two different women: my mother and my colleague, friend and mentor, Dr. Andrea Gielen. My mother’s influence was subtle and only clear in retrospect: I was four years old when I competed in my first swim meet, a 25-meter free-style race. I was three-quarters of the way completed, when, as I turned my head to breathe, I saw my mother running alongside the edge of the pool jumping up and down and cheering me on. I was so startled I swallowed some water and started choking, having to doggy paddle to the end of the pool, finishing fourth. That ‘near drowning event’ set the stage for me. Flash forward two decades later. I was transitioning from an RA position in the Dept. of Pediatrics, where I was working on a study to improve pediatricians’ alcohol and drug screening and referral skills to a new position in JHSPH to run an academic program. Knowing I wanted to stay involved in research, Dr. Gielen convinced me that my same skill set could be used effectively on her pediatric injury prevention project that ultimately led to the development of the first US-based children’s safety resource center. From that point on, I was hooked. 

Tell us about an active project that you are currently working on.

The Safe Start Project (official title: Health Information Technology to Reduce Disparities in Risks for Sleep-related Infant Deaths) is a five-year intervention trial funded by NIMHD, currently taking place in the Harriet Lane Clinic, a pediatric primary care program and pediatric residency training site. The intervention is 1) an infant sleep assessment (ISA) tool embedded into the electronic medical record completed by parents before they see the pediatrician, AND 2) pediatric resident communication training inspired by motivational interviewing. Pediatric residents randomized to the intervention condition complete a communication training ( a 20-min video) that explains the ISA and how to apply motivational interviewing techniques to the ISA results as they counsel families on infant safe sleep practices. Their families with newborns are then enrolled in the study. Parents complete a baseline survey of their current infant sleep practices at the newborn visit; before the baby’s 2 mos. visit, they complete the ISA and the results are sent to their pediatrician thru the electronic medical record. At the 2 mos. well baby visit, we audio-record the parent - pediatrician interaction to explore whether and how the ISA results guided any infant safe sleep counseling. Control residents provide standard of care to their enrolled families. Home observations of infant sleep spaces will be completed on a sample of both intervention and control families who complete the 2 mos. well baby visit. Our hope is that this pair of interventions will improve: the identification of risky infant sleep practices, the counseling provided by pediatricians, and, ultimately the safety of all infants in Baltimore and beyond.

How would you describe your job to a five-year-old?

I’ve had quite a bit of practice with this, talking to my seven nieces and nephews when they were young and now my twelve great nieces and nephews, who jokingly refer to me as Aunt Safety. I tell them that I’m lucky that I get to work with really smart people and we look at the world in a different way. We try to make homes and cars and neighborhoods and consumer products safer and healthier for people. I also “tell” them what I do through examples: I always wear a seat belt; I compliment them when I see them wearing a bike helmet; I support and encourage them as they learn to swim.

What do you enjoy doing in your free time? 

Carrying on my mother’s tradition of being a boisterous fan, I attend as many family member’s sporting events as possible. A fan of reading and traveling, I also love being on the water, especially on a sailboat, having completed sailing trips in and around the Florida Keys, Mexico and Greece, but most of the time just tooling around the Inner Harbor. Got to save something for retirement!

What is your favorite part about being affiliated with the Injury Center?

In a word, the people. You guys are the best!