Ruth A McDonald, MD

Ruth A McDonald, MD

Nephrology, Dialysis, Fetal Care and Treatment Center, Apheresis

On staff since July 1993

Children's Title: Vice President and Associate Chief Medical Officer, Chief Medical Operations Officer

Academic Title: Professor, Pediatrics

Research Center: Center for Clinical and Translational Research

  • Ruth A. McDonald, MD, is an attending physician at Seattle Childrens, VP and Associate Chief Medical Officer and Chief Medical Operations Officer, and Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington School of Medicine. Until recently she also participated in several outreach clinics in pediatric nephrology in Washington, Alaska and Montana.

    She earned her MD at the University of Minnesota. She completed her residency and nephrology fellowship at the University of Washington. She serves as principal investigator in many multicenter research studies on pediatric renal transplantation. She has been an active participant in the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Cooperative Studies Board of Directors. She has a special clinical interest in post-transplant lymphoproliferative disorder and viral infections after transplant in all solid organ transplant recipients. She is an at-large member of the Childrens University Medical Group Board of Directors and chairs the groups Clinical Practice Committee. McDonald is well known and respected nationally as a leader in national organ allocation policy development, working actively in several organizations. She serves on the UNOS Kidney Committee and is an elected member of the UNOS Board of Directors. Additionally, she serves on the pediatric nephrology sub-board of the American Board of Pediatrics.

    • Debby Wenatchee, Washington 08.29.14

      Dr. McDonald has been my son's nephrologist for more than 17 years, since he was less than 24 hours old, and arrived at Seattle Children's for emergency surgery, until recently when he transferred to an adult nephrologist in our hometown. I highly recommend Dr. McDonald for her professionalism, knowledge of all phases of care and related systems, and genuine concern for the well-being of her "kids". My sons care ranged from renal dysfunction, to end-stage renal disease, with 4 years of dialysis, both peritoneal and hemo, through transplant. She has been "in the trenches" with us through countless situations, conditions and decisions. Without hesitation I would recommended her to anyone needing a nephrologist for their child. She is a gifted practitioner of the highest caliber.

    Recommend Ruth A McDonald, MD
  • Award Name Award Description Awarded By Award Date
    SEATTLE TOP DOCTOR - 2022 Seattle Magazine 2022
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2017 Seattle Magazine 2017
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2016 Seattle Magazine 2016
    Seattles Top Doctor 2016 Seattle Met Magazine 2016
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2015 Seattle Met Magazine 2015
    SEATTLE'S TOP DOCTOR - 2014 Seattle Metropolitan Magazine 2014
    Seattle's Top Doc Seattle Met Magazine 2013
    Seattle Magazine Top Doctor - 2012 Seattle Magazine Top Doctor - 2012 Seattle Magazine 2012
    U.S. News Top Doctor U.S. News and World Report 2012

  • Other Publications

    • Verghese PS, Smith JM, McDonald RA, Schwartz SM, Nelson KA, Warner PR
      Impaired graft survival in pediatric renal transplant recipients with donor-specific antibodies detected by solid-phase assays.
      20598090 Pediatric transplantation, 2010 Sept. 1 : 730-4
    • Smith JM, Corey L, Bittner R, Finn LS, Healey PJ, Davis CL, McDonald RA
      Subclinical viremia increases risk for chronic allograft injury in pediatric renal transplantation.
      20616168 Journal of the American Society of Nephrology : JASN, 2010 Sept. : 1579-86
    • Kasiske BL, Zeier MG, Chapman JR, Craig JC, Ekberg H, Garvey CA, Green MD, Jha V, Josephson MA, Kiberd BA, Kreis HA, McDonald RA, Newmann JM, Obrador GT, Vincenti FG, Cheung M, Earley A, Raman G, Abariga S, Wagner M, Balk EM
      KDIGO clinical practice guideline for the care of kidney transplant recipients: a summary.
      19847156 Kidney international, 2010 Feb. : 299-311
    • KDIGO clinical practice guideline for the care of kidney transplant recipients.
      19845597 American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, 2009 Nov. : S1-155
    • Smith JM, Fine RN, McDonald RA
      Current state of pediatric renal transplantation.
      17981538 Frontiers in bioscience : a journal and virtual library, 2008 Jan. 1 : 197-203
    • Smith JM, Dharnidharka VR, Talley L, Martz K, McDonald RA
      BK virus nephropathy in pediatric renal transplant recipients: an analysis of the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS) registry.
      17702713 Clinical journal of the American Society of Nephrology : CJASN, 2007 Sept. : 1037-42
    • Smith JM, Corey L, Healey PJ, Davis CL, McDonald RA
      Adolescents are more likely to develop posttransplant lymphoproliferative disorder after primary Epstein-Barr virus infection than younger renal transplant recipients.
      17565314 Transplantation, 2007 June 15 : 1423-8
    • Smith JM, Stablein DM, Munoz R, Hebert D, McDonald RA
      Contributions of the Transplant Registry: The 2006 Annual Report of the North American Pediatric Renal Trials and Collaborative Studies (NAPRTCS).
      17493215 Pediatric transplantation, 2007 June : 366-73
    • Schachter AD, Benfield MR, Wyatt RJ, Grimm PC, Fennell RS, Herrin JT, Lirenman DS, McDonald RA, Munoz-Arizpe R, Harmon WE
      Sirolimus pharmacokinetics in pediatric renal transplant recipients receiving calcineurin inhibitor co-therapy.
      17096757 Pediatric transplantation, 2006 Dec. : 914-9
    • Smith JM, McDonald RA
      Emerging viral infections in transplantation.
      17032433 Pediatric transplantation, 2006 Nov. : 838-43
    • Smith JM, Wong CS, Salamonik EB, Hacker BM, McDonald RA, Mancl LA, Williams BJ, Ibrahim A, Roberts FA
      Sonic tooth brushing reduces gingival overgrowth in renal transplant recipients.
      16937132 Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2006 Nov. : 1753-9
    • Smith JM, Rudser K, Gillen D, Kestenbaum B, Seliger S, Weiss N, McDonald RA, Davis CL, Stehmen-Breen C
      Risk of lymphoma after renal transplantation varies with time: an analysis of the United States Renal Data System.
      16436959 Transplantation, 2006 Jan. 27 : 175-80
    • Gross TG, Bucuvalas JC, Park JR, Greiner TC, Hinrich SH, Kaufman SS, Langnas AN, McDonald RA, Ryckman FC, Shaw BW, Sudan DL, Lynch JC
      Low-dose chemotherapy for Epstein-Barr virus-positive post-transplantation lymphoproliferative disease in children after solid organ transplantation.
      16170157 Journal of clinical oncology : official journal of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, 2005 Sept. 20 : 6481-8
    • Harmon WE, McDonald RA, Reyes JD, Bridges ND, Sweet SC, Sommers CM, Guidinger MK
      Pediatric transplantation, 1994-2003.
      15760416 American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, 2005 April : 887-903
    • Smith JM, McDonald RA
      Renal transplantation in adolescents.
      15844392 Adolescent medicine clinics, 2005 Feb. : 201-14
    • Smith JM, McDonald RA, Finn LS, Healey PJ, Davis CL, Limaye AP
      Polyomavirus nephropathy in pediatric kidney transplant recipients.
      15575916 American journal of transplantation : official journal of the American Society of Transplantation and the American Society of Transplant Surgeons, 2004 Dec. : 2109-17
    • Smith JM, Nemeth TL, McDonald RA
      Current immunosuppressive agents in pediatric renal transplantation: efficacy, side-effects and utilization.
      15367279 Pediatric transplantation, 2004 Oct. : 445-53
    • Rahim KA, Seidel K, McDonald RA
      Risk factors for catheter-related complications in pediatric peritoneal dialysis.
      15206031 Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2004 Sept. : 1021-8
    • Hingorani SR, Finn LS, Kowalewska J, McDonald RA, Eddy AA
      Expression of nephrin in acquired forms of nephrotic syndrome in childhood.
      14747939 Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2004 March : 300-5
    • Smith JM, Nemeth TL, McDonald RA
      Current immunosuppressive agents: efficacy, side effects, and utilization.
      14710781 Pediatric clinics of North America, 2003 Dec. : 1283-300
    • Benfield MR, McDonald RA, Bartosh S, Ho PL, Harmon W
      Changing trends in pediatric transplantation: 2001 Annual Report of the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study.
      12890012 Pediatric transplantation, 2003 Aug. : 321-35
    • McDonald RA, Smith JM, Stablein D, Harmon WE
      Pretransplant peritoneal dialysis and graft thrombosis following pediatric kidney transplantation: a NAPRTCS report.
      12756045 Pediatric transplantation, 2003 June : 204-8
    • Smith JM, Ho PL, McDonald RA
      Renal transplant outcomes in adolescents: a report of the North American Pediatric Renal Transplant Cooperative Study.
      12453202 Pediatric transplantation, 2002 Dec. : 493-9
    • Gillespie RS, Symons JM, McDonald RA
      Peritonitis due to Leuconostoc species in a child receiving peritoneal dialysis.
      12432444 Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2002 Nov. : 966-8
    • Neu AM, Ho PL, McDonald RA, Warady BA
      Chronic dialysis in children and adolescents. The 2001 NAPRTCS Annual Report.
      12185477 Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2002 Aug. : 656-63
    • Faizan MK, Finn LS, Paladin AM, McDonald RA
      A 14-year-old girl with recumbent proteinuria.
      12042899 Pediatric nephrology (Berlin, Germany), 2002 May : 379-81

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Overview

Board Certification(s)

Pediatric Nephrology

Medical/Professional School

M Health Fairview University of Minnesota Medical Center-East Bank Hospital, Minneapolis, MN

Residency

University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

Fellowship

University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA

Clinical Interests

Pediatric solid organ transplantation

Research Focus Area

Translational Research