Christopher McDonald, MD is an orthopedic surgeon and adult spine surgeon at Sturdy Health Orthopedic & Sports Medicine in Attleboro, Massachusetts. Dr. McDonald earned his Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology at University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington. He then received his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Washington School of Medicine in Seattle, Washington. Dr. McDonald completed his residency in orthopedic surgery and a fellowship in Orthopedic Trauma Surgery at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University/Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. He also completed a complex spine surgery fellowship at the University of Utah in Salt Lake City, Utah.
How do you approach care?
My overall approach to patient care is to treat patients as if they were my own family. If I wouldn't recommend the same treatment to myself or my family, I would never recommend it to a patient. Along those same lines, one thing I love most about my job is the connection I get the chance to make with patients on a daily basis. Patient stories about the things they can return to after recovering from whatever is bothering them is the most rewarding to me, and I view my patients as part of my extended family in how I care for them.
What inspired you to pursue a career in healthcare and your specialty?
Sometimes we take for granted the importance of the musculoskeletal system in how we function in our day-to-day life. I've seen firsthand the impact that both spine pathology, but also orthopedic trauma can have on patients. The toll these conditions take has been shown to affect patients as much as diseases such as cancer, and to have the ability to help restore patients' ability to function in their day-to-day life was such a rewarding experience. Combining this with the intricacy of both spine and trauma surgery, I couldn't see myself ever doing anything else.
Why did you choose to join Sturdy Health?
In thinking about joining leading health centers, it’s not just the physicians in the group who make it great. Sturdy Health provides excellence across the entire spectrum of healthcare. From physical therapists, non-surgical spine care physicians, occupational therapists, and advanced care pathways targeted to optimizing the experience for each patient, I felt that this organization provides both physicians and patients the best opportunities to succeed and was honored to have the opportunity to help contribute to that.
What are your personal interests?
When I'm not at work, I love traveling and exploring the world with my wife, spending time at home with our puppy, cooking, and remaining active with exercise, soccer, basketball, golf, and most outdoor activities. In any other spare time, I am often playing cribbage.
