Departmental Affiliations
Primary
Center & Institute Affiliations
Eileen McDonald, MS, uses education, communication, product design, policy, and professional development to create a healthier and safer world, especially for children.
Contact Info
624 N. Broadway, Room 731
Baltimore
Maryland
US
410-955-7241
Research Interests
Health Behavior; Health Education; Injury Control; Health Communication; Computer Tailored Messaging;
Professional Preparation; Opioids; Technology Solutions
Experiences & Accomplishments
Education
MS
Towson State University
1992
BS
Towson State University
1985
Overview
Eileen McDonald (she/her) has research interests at the intersection of health education, health communication and injury control. Exploring the use of new technologies to enhance patient education (AI, computer tailoring) and using experiential teaching techniques (role-playing, simulated patients, computer learning) to enhance physician patient education skills -- all focused on enhancing injury prevention counseling messages received by parents of young children -- is just one example of how these three areas merge in actual practice. The newest technology to be tested for its impact on parents' safety practices is a web-based program and smart phone application to provide personalized and tailored information to parents of young children about a variety of injury prevention topics. The program, Safety in Seconds (SIS) 2.0, was tested in a randomized clinical trial in pediatric emergency departments in Baltimore, MD and Little Rock, AR and is now available free to the public.
As part of both her research and practice portfolio, McDonald directs Children’s Safety Center, a first-of-its kind safety resource center pioneered at Johns Hopkins in 1997 and identified by the CDC as a public health “success story.” Her current research projects explore the link between housing quality and pediatric injury, enhancing patient engagement among those attending a pain management clinic, and an intervention trial making home renovations to reduce pediatric injuries. Current service programs include working with: child death review and injury prevention specialists to develop data-driven and evidence-informed pediatric injury prevention recommendations, and fire department leadership to enhance fire and life safety prevention activities.
Last but not least, McDonald directs both the MSPH and the joint Bachelor's-MSPH in health education and health communication. She leads a three term seminar series for first year students and a monthly seminar series for second year students. Professional development roles include participation on a number of professional association boards and committees, and the creation of presentations and publications, such as workshops, replication guides, and orientation guides to be used by health educators and others interested in developing their own injury prevention centers.
As part of both her research and practice portfolio, McDonald directs Children’s Safety Center, a first-of-its kind safety resource center pioneered at Johns Hopkins in 1997 and identified by the CDC as a public health “success story.” Her current research projects explore the link between housing quality and pediatric injury, enhancing patient engagement among those attending a pain management clinic, and an intervention trial making home renovations to reduce pediatric injuries. Current service programs include working with: child death review and injury prevention specialists to develop data-driven and evidence-informed pediatric injury prevention recommendations, and fire department leadership to enhance fire and life safety prevention activities.
Last but not least, McDonald directs both the MSPH and the joint Bachelor's-MSPH in health education and health communication. She leads a three term seminar series for first year students and a monthly seminar series for second year students. Professional development roles include participation on a number of professional association boards and committees, and the creation of presentations and publications, such as workshops, replication guides, and orientation guides to be used by health educators and others interested in developing their own injury prevention centers.
Honors & Awards
2017 Excellence in Public Health Practice, Baltimore, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health
2004 Mohan Signh Award, Public Health Education and Health Promoton, American Public Health Association
1998 Early Career Award, Public Health Education and Health Promotion, American Public Health Association.
1992 Professional Development Award, Towson University, Towson, Maryland.
1985 Department of Health Science Award, Towson University, Towson, Maryland.
2004 Mohan Signh Award, Public Health Education and Health Promoton, American Public Health Association
1998 Early Career Award, Public Health Education and Health Promotion, American Public Health Association.
1992 Professional Development Award, Towson University, Towson, Maryland.
1985 Department of Health Science Award, Towson University, Towson, Maryland.
Select Publications
Publications from the last three years -- recently completed clinic-based and community intervention trials as well as descriptive papers on injury epidemiology.
- Ryan LM, Solomon B, Ziegfeld S, Gielen A, Malloy L, Foster D, McDonald EM. Evaluation of a culturally tailored educational video intervention to promote bike helmet safety for urban children: a pilot study. Health Promotion Practice. https://doi.org/10.1177/1524839920920304 (First published May 17, 2020)
- McDonald EM, Gielen AC. Injury Prevention: Falls. In: Tremblay RE, Boivin M, Peters RDeV, eds. Rivara F, topic ed. Encyclopedia on Early Childhood Development [online]. http://www.child-encyclopedia.com/injury-prevention/according-experts/injury-prevention-falls. Updated December 2019. Accessed December 10, 2019.
- Mahoney P, Solomon BS, McDonald EM, Shields WC, Gielen AC. Disclosure of infant unsafe sleep practices by African American mothers in primary care settings. JAMA Pediatr 2019; July 1, 2019. doi:10.1001/jamapediatrics.2019.1687
- McDonald EM, Mack KI, Shields WC, Lee R, Gielen AC. Primary care opportunities to prevent home injuries: A focus on children and older adults. Am J Lifestyle Med. 2018;12(2):96-106.
- McDonald EM, Kennedy-Hendricks A, McGinty EE, Shields WC, Barry CL, Gielen AC. Safe storage of opioid pain relievers among adults living with households with children. Pediatrics. 2017 Mar;139(3). pii: e20162161. doi: 10.1542/peds.2016-2161.
Projects
Community Partnerships for Child Safety
Evaluating a Web-Based Child Passenger Safety Program: Safety in Seconds v2.0
Johns Hopkins Center for Injury Research and Policy
Housing Characteristics and Child Injury Risks: A New Tool for Researchers and Policy Makers
Promoting Safety in the Baltimore Region: Expanding the Impact of the Johns Hopkins CARES Mobile Safety Center
Community Based Participatory Research in Child Safety
Head Start Programs and Injury Prevention
Enhancing Community Fire Prevention Education: Informed by Real-Time Data and Expanded to Serve the Needs of Older Adults
Evaluating an Injury Prevention Resource Center in the Harriet Lane Clinic
Oversee an Injury Prevention Resource Center in the Harriet Lane Clinic
Using m-Health Tools to Reduce the Misuse of Opioid Pain Relievers
Infant Safe Sleep Intervention Trial
Ensuring Child Safety in For-Hire Rideshare Vehicles
Mind Your Meds Monday
Contract with National Center for Fatality Review and Prevention
A New m-Health Tool for Injury Prevention Anticipatory Guidance of Parents with Infants,
Child Injury Prevention