Dr. Shannon McDonald

Dr. Shannon McDonald, recently retired from the position of Chief Medical Officer at the First Nations Health Authority (FNHA) in BC, is proudly Métis/Anishinaabe with deep roots in the Red River Valley of Manitoba. Dr. McDonald is a physician with post-graduate medical training in Community Medicine and Psychiatry and worked for over 25 years in the area of Indigenous health, with broad experience at multiple levels of health care service delivery and health administration in both provincial and federal contexts. Before joining the FNHA, she served for five years as the Executive Director of Aboriginal Health at the BC Ministry of Health.

Dr. McDonald is a visionary, result-oriented influencer with significant accomplishments in leading transformative change, including implementation of information and communications technologies and the creation of collaborative health systems. She was awarded BC’s Physician Champions of Change award by the Doctors of BC for her leadership and advocacy for physician services in BC’s rural and remote First Nations communities. She has also been recognized for effectively representing the needs and interests of Indigenous individuals, families and communities in highly complex, multi-stakeholder and multi-jurisdictional environments. Deeply committed to the principles of supporting capacity and community development as keys to improving health status among all people, Dr. McDonald recognizes and supports the strengths and aspirations of community-level stakeholders.

She is married with five children, three wonderful grandchildren, and three dogs. She lives near Victoria with her husband.