Research Interests 

Craig McDonald, M.D. is an internationally recognized expert in the clinical management and rehabilitation of neuromuscular diseases including muscular dystrophies and the development of novel outcome measures for clinical trials. He also is widely known for his expertise in the management of children and young adults with spinal cord injury and spina bifida.

He is Director of the NIDRR-funded Rehabilitation Research and Training Center in Neuromuscular Diseases and Principal Investigator of the UC Davis NINDS-funded site in the NeuroNEXT Neurosciences Clinical Trials National Consortium. Dr. McDonald is recipient of over $16 million in federal grant support over the past 12 years.

He has been involved in a multitude of NIH, MDA, CDC and Shriners hospitals national committees and serves as a consultant to the pharmaceutical industry regarding clinical trials in Duchenne muscular dystrophy and other muscular dystrophies. He has been on many NIH study sections reviewing research proposals relating to neuromuscular diseases and rehabilitation sciences.

His research has focused on novel clinical endpoint development in neuromuscular diseases, clinical trials and natural history studies in muscular dystrophies, metabolic syndrome, and energy expenditure in childhood disabilities.