Dr. James V. McDonald has served at the Rhode Island Department of Health (RIDOH) since 2012 as the Chief Administrative Officer of the Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline and the Center for Customer Services Medical Director. He is also a member of the Governor’s Task Force on Preventing Overdose Deaths and leads the Prevention Strategy Work Group. McDonald is also the Medical Director of the overdose prevention program, as well as Medical Director for the Center for Health Systems and Policy at RIDOH. McDonald earned his medical degree from Loyola Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, his pediatric residency in the U.S. Navy, and his preventive medicine residency from the State University of New York. He earned is master's degree in public health from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill. McDonald is board certified in pediatrics and preventive medicine. His diverse career includes officership in the U.S. Navy, as well as private practice in rural areas and in the Navajo Nation. McDonald lives in North Kingstown with his wife and three children.