Dr. McDonald attended the University of Melbourne, graduating in dentistry and was awarded the Mervyn Townsend Memorial Prize in Orthodontics. After five years of practising general dentistry, he returned to the University of Melbourne to undertake a Masters Degree in Orthodontics, and several years later, was registered in Victoria as a specialist orthodontist.
In his early years of practice, he was one of the first orthodontists in Australia to use functional appliances for Class II corrections, and since then, this therapy has been widely adopted by the orthodontic community. Dr. McDonald has served with numerous professional organisations and is a past president of the Australian Society of Orthodontics (Victorian branch), and the Australian Begg Society of Orthodontists. He has lectured to professional bodies on numerous occasions, and is currently a member of the Australian Society of Orthodontists, the American Association of Orthodontists, the World Federation of Orthodontists and the Australian Dental Association.
From its inception, Dr. McDonald has been a strong supporter of “Give a Smile”, a charitable arm of the Australian Society of Orthodontists, where Dr. McDonald treats patients on the public waiting list at no cost to the patient. Outside of work, he enjoys time with his family and his trusty dog, and has served on the council of The Presbyterian Ladies College for almost twenty years, and is currently the President of the PLC Foundation. His other interests include golf, downhill skiing and travelling.