BBI Faculty Fellow, Associate Professor Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics, PhD, FAAIDD
kemcdona@syr.eduCurriculum Vita (PDF)
Dr. Katherine (Katie) McDonald is a Professor of Public Health in the Falk College of Sport and Human Dynamics and a Faculty Fellow at the Burton Blatt Institute at Syracuse University. Dr. McDonald received her B.S. with Distinction in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in French from Cornell University and her Ph.D. in Community and Prevention Research Psychology from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Dr. McDonald uses ecological theory and social action research to understand and promote the community integration of individuals with disabilities.
Her current research spans two core areas of inquiry.
(1) Respectful, Inclusive Research with Adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities: Dr. McDonald studies human research ethics, with an emphasis on the research participation of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her long-term goal is to contribute an empirical perspective to respectful, inclusive research practices for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Her mixed methods work in this area includes an array of stakeholders as research partners and research participants.
(2) Participatory Action Research Addressing Disparities: Dr. McDonald conducts collaborative research with community-based organizations and community members on health, education, community and employment disparities experienced by individuals with disabilities. One long-standing collaboration is the Academic Autistic Spectrum Partnership in Research and Education (AASPIRE; www.aaspire.org ). AASPIRE conducts research on the needs of autistic adults through academic-autistic partnerships, including studies on access to quality healthcare and employment experiences. With several ADA Centers (http://adata.org/ ) and universities, Dr. McDonald conducts research on community participation among adults with disabilities. She is also working with United Cerebral Palsy to build a network of people with disabilities prepared to engage with and in patient-centered outcomes research (http://mylifewithoutlimits.org/speak-for-yourself/ ).
Dr. McDonald received the Stevens-Shapiro Fellowship from the International Association for the Scientific Study of Intellectual Disabilities (IASSID), the Early Career Award from the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD), and was an International Visiting Fellow at the University of Western Sydney in Australia. Dr. McDonald is a Fellow in the AAIDD, and Chair of the Institutional Review Board (IRB). Dr. McDonald previously lived in community with individuals with and without intellectual disability in a community of L’Arche.
Publications
2015
- Katherine E. McDonald, Nicole M. Schwartz, Colleen M. Gibbons, Robert S. Olick. (2015). “You Can’t be Cold and Scientific”: Community Views on Ethical Issues inIntellectual Disability Research. Journal of Empirical Research on Human Research Ethics, Vol. 10(2) 196-208
- Katherine E. McDonald, Pamela Williamson, Sally Weiss, Meera Adya, Peter Blanck and DBTAC: Southeast ADA Center PAR Research Consortium. (2015). The March Goes On: Community Access for People with Disabilities. Journal of Community Psychology, Vol. 43, No. 3, pp. 348-363
2013
- Katherine E. McDonald, Dora M. Raymaker. (Published online ahead of print, 2013). Paradigm Shifts in Disability and Health: Toward More Ethical Public Health Research. American Journal of Public Health, DOI: 10.2105/AJPH.2013.301286. Both authors contributed equally to this manuscript
- K. E. McDonald, C. A. Kidney & M. Patka . (2013). ‘You need to let your voice be heard’: research participants’ views on research. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, Volume 57 part 3 pp 216–225 March 2013
- Mazna Patka, Christopher B. Keys, David B. Henry, and Katherine E. McDonald. (2013). Attitudes of Pakistani Community Members and Staff Toward People with Intellectual Disability. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, January 2013, Vol. 118, No. 1, pp. 32-43
2012
- Nicolaidis, C., Raymaker, D., McDonald, K, Dern, S., Boisclair, W.C., Ashkenazy, E., Baggs, A.. (2012). Comparison of healthcare experiences in autistic and non-autistic adults: A cross-sectional online survey facilitated by an academic-community partnership . Journal of General Internal Medicine, November 2012.
- McDonald, K. & Patka, M.. (2012). “There is no black or white”: Scientific community views on ethics in intellectual and developmental disability research. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities., 9, 206-214..
- McDonald, K. . (2012). “We want respect”: Adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities address respect in research. American Journal on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities , 117, 263–274
- McDonald, K. & Kidney, C.. (2012). What is right? Ethics in intellectual disabilities research. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities,, 9, 27 – 39
2011
- Nicolaidis, C., Raymaker, R., McDonald, K., Robertson, S., Dern, S., & Ashkenzy, E. (2011). Collaboration strategies in non-traditional CBPR partnerships: Lessons from a geographically-dispersed partnership with autistic self-advocates. Progress in Community Health Partnerships: Research, Education, and Action, 5, 143-150.
2010
- Hernandez, B. & McDonald, K. (2010). Exploring the costs and benefits of workers with disabilities. Journal of Rehabilitation, 76, 15-23.
- Soffer, M., McDonald, K. & Blanck, P. (2010). Poverty among adults with disabilities: Barriers to promoting asset accumulation in individual development accounts. American Journal of Community Psychology, 46, 376-385.
2009
- McDonald, K., Kidney, C. Kimmel, A., Nelms, S., Parker, M., & Keys, C. (2009). Perspectives on risks and protections for the inclusion of adults with intellectual disabilities in social science research. Journal of Policy and Practice in Intellectual Disabilities, 6, 244-252.
- Hernandez, B., McDonald, K., LePera, N., Shahna, M., Wang, T.A., & Levy, J. (2009). Moving beyond misperceptions: The provision of workplace accommodations. Journal of Social Work in Disability and Rehabilitation, 8, 189-204
2008
- McDonald, K. & Keys, C. (2008). How the powerful decide: Access to research participation for those at the margins. American Journal of Community Psychology, 42, 79-93.
- McDonald, K., Keys, C. & Henry, D. (2008). The gatekeepers of science: Attitudes toward the research participation of adults with intellectual disabilities. The American Journal on Mental Retardation, 113, 466-478.
- McDonald, K & Myrick, S. (2008). Principles, promises, and a personal plea: What is an evaluator to do?. American Journal of Evaluation, 29, 341-351.
2007
- Hernandez, B., & McDonald, K. (2007). Exploring the Bottom Line: A Study of the Costs and Benefits of Workers with Disabilities. Chicago: DePaul University.
- McDonald, K., Keys, C. & Balcazar, F. (2007). Disability, race/ethnicity and gender: Themes of cultural oppression, acts of individual resistance. American Journal of Community Psychology, 39, 145-161.
2005
- McDonald, K. & Keys, C. (2005). L’Arche: The successes of community, the challenges of empowerment in a faith-centered setting. Journal of Religion, Disability, & Health, 9, 5-28.