Austin McDonald, MD

Resident

Organization:

West Virginia University School of Medicine

Department:

Emergency Medicine

Classification:

Resident

• MD, University of Texas Health San Antonio

Hometown: Soldotna, Alaska
Undergraduate institution: LeTourneau University, Longview, Texas
Medical school: University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Why did you choose WVU? My wife and I met in medical school in San Antonio, and we were both eager to escape the heat for residency. I enjoyed the fact that WVU has a level I trauma center with a large catchment area but is placed in a rural setting out of the big city. In addition, all the residents I spoke with during my interview day seemed genuinely happy and satisfied with their residency experience. My wife and I also love the outdoors and were excited for all of the recreational opportunities West Virginia has to offer.

Brief bio: I was born in Missouri but lived most of my childhood in Northeast Texas. I went to a small private university for college where I had a ton of fun playing on the rugby team. I then travelled south to San Antonio for medical school where I met my wife (we were anatomy tank mates). My favorite place to be is high on a ridgeline in the mountains (nearly all my childhood vacations consisted of camping in the Colorado Rockies, and my family moved to Alaska during my freshman year of college). Some of my favorite things to do are lifting weights, hiking, kayaking, whitewater rafting, snowboarding, and riding motorcycles (one of my favorite memories is a 2,000+ mile motorcycle trip my family and I took around Alaska a few years ago).