Personal profile
Biography
I am Professor of Psychiatry at NUI Galway with overall responsibility for organisation, delivery and assessment of undergraduate psychiatry teaching, and Vice Dean of the NUIG Deanery with overall responsibility for allocation and mentoring of basic specialists trainees in psychiatry in Galway, Roscommon and Mayo. During research training in the Institute of Psychiatry in London, I developed and led a multidisciplinary clinical research study, the Maudsley Family Study of Psychosis, which identified endophenotypes of psychotic illness in genetically at risk relatives of patients. Since arriving to Galway I have developed a broad clinical research programme in psychiatry incorporating neuroscience and health services research projects and supervised numerous junior colleagues in projects related to these themes. A particular focus of the research programme is the application of structural neuroimaging to the understanding of the aetiopathogenesis of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. To support this activity at NUIGalway, I developed, with Dr. Dara Cannon, the Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory in 2006, and, with Prof. Gary Donohoe, the Centre for Neuroimaging and Cognitive Genomics in 2015. I have strong collaborative links with multiple national and international partners and contribute clinical data and analyses to large collaborative genetics and neuroimaging consortia including Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium, Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC), Enhancing Neuroimaging Genetics though Meta-Analysis (ENIGMA), PSYSCAN. I have supervised 10 PhD students and 4 MD students to completion.
Education/Academic qualification
MB, BCH., BAO
Accepting PhD Students
- Accepting PhD Students
Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
-
SDG 3 Good Health and Well-being
-
SDG 4 Quality Education
-
SDG 5 Gender Equality
-
SDG 16 Peace, Justice and Strong Institutions
Fingerprint
- 1 Similar Profiles
Collaborations and top research areas from the last five years
-
Antidepressant efficacy and safety of scopolamine in individuals with bipolar disorder (SCOPE-BD): A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial
Miravalles, C., Kane, R., Rossier, A. T., Quirke, J., Aguilar Macías, D. A., Alvarez-Iglesias, A., Chukwudi, K., McDonald, C., Cannon, D. M. & Hallahan, B., 15 Mar 2026, In: Journal of Affective Disorders. 397, 120888.Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review
Open Access -
A Scalable Toolkit for Modeling 3D Surface-Based Brain Geometry
Im, Y., Nabulsi, L., Kang, M. J. Y., Thomopoulos, S. I., Zuluaga, A. M. D., Dale, A. M., Karuk, A., Di Giorgio, A., Mwangi, B., Gutman, B., Overs, B., Jaramillo, C. L., McDonald, C., Stein, D. J., Cannon, D. M., Glahn, D., Hidalgo-Mazzei, D., Pecheva, D., Grotegerd, D. & Pomarol-Clotet, E. & 52 others, , 2026, Shape in Medical Imaging - International Workshop, ShapeMI 2025, Held in Conjunction with MICCAI 2025, Proceedings. Wachinger, C., Luijten, G., Egger, J., Elhabian, S. & Gopinath, K. (eds.). Springer Science and Business Media Deutschland GmbH, p. 232-246 15 p. (Lecture Notes in Computer Science; vol. 16171 LNCS).Research output: Chapter in Book or Conference Publication/Proceeding › Conference Publication › peer-review
-
A systematic review identifying personally modifiable factors for self-harm recovery in young people and the barriers and facilitators to their implementation
McEvoy, D., Sweeney, C., Ryan, L., Wilson, C., Healy, C., Mongan, D., Sheaf, G., Higgins, A., Gallant, A. J., Doyle, L., Darker, C. D., Keogh, B., Kartalova-O'Doherty, Y., Murphy, R., Fitzgerald, C., Staines, L., Lyne, J. P., O'Connor, K., Anand-Vembar, S. & O'Keeffe, D. & 10 others, , May 2026, In: Journal of Psychiatric Research.Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review
-
Implementing shared care models for young people with mental health difficulties: a consolidated framework for implementation research- informed scoping review of service integration across physical, sexual and mental health domains
Gallant, A. J., O’Connor, K., Lyne, J. P., Ryan, L., Doody, M., Sheaf, G., Higgins, A., Cotter, D., Murphy, R., Doyle, L., McEvoy, D., Keogh, B., Anand-Vembar, S., Cannon, M., Donohoe, G., Longe, O., McDonald, C., Burke, S., Healy, C. & Staines, L. & 5 others, , 20 Feb 2026, In: BMC Health Services Research.Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review
-
Investigating the relationship between Toll-like receptor activity, low-grade inflammation, cognitive deficits, and antipsychotic drug dose in schizophrenia patients: a moderation analysis
Patlola, S. R., Hallahan, B., McManus, R., Kenyon, M., McDonald, C., Morris, D., Kelly, J., Donohoe, G. & McKernan, D. P., 3 Mar 2026, In: Psychological Medicine. 56, e63.Research output: Contribution to a Journal (Peer & Non Peer) › Article › peer-review
Open Access
Activities
-
Dearbhla N� Ch�l�in
McDonald, C. (Primary Supervisor)
2024Activity: Other › Current Postgraduates (Research) Supervised
-
Sonn Patel
McDonald, C. (Co-Supervisor)
2024Activity: Other › Current Postgraduates (Research) Supervised
-
Shane McInerney University of Galway
McDonald, C. (Primary Supervisor)
2017 → 2022Activity: Other › Postgraduates Supervised
-
Emma Bainbridge University of Galway
McDonald, C. (Primary Supervisor)
2016 → 2022Activity: Other › Postgraduates Supervised
-
David McGuinness University of Galway
McDonald, C. (Other)
2016 → 2021Activity: Other › Postgraduates Supervised