Biography

Dr. McDonald has served as an occupational therapy practitioner, educator, and researcher throughout her 30+ year career. She received her PhD, in Occupational Science and MA in Occupational Therapy from the University of Southern California (USC) as well as BA in Education (Special Education) from Arizona State University (ASU). As a lifelong learner, she also holds a MA in Bioethics and Health Policy from Loyola University, Chicago and is an alumna of Harvard's Global Clinical Scholars Research Training (GCSRT) Program. As a practitioner, Dr. McDonald has focused her work with children and families from diverse backgrounds across a wide range of service settings inclusive of Children’s Hospital, Los Angeles (CHLA), UCLA’s Neuropsychiatric Hospital, Los Angeles Unified School District (LAUSD) as well as homeless shelters, private practice clinics, in-home early intervention, and overseas for the Exceptional Family Member Program (Department of Defense Schools) in Germany. Ann previously served as the Program Director for the OTD and MSOT programs for Colorado Mesa University in Grand Junction, Colorado and assisted in the development of West Coast University’s OTD and MSOT Programs in Los Angeles. In her spare time, she enjoys traveling and spending time with her family and many pets!