Appointment of Donald Ian Macdonald as Deputy Assistant to the President for Drug Abuse Policy
The President today announced the appointment of Donald Ian Macdonald, M.D., to be Deputy Assistant to the President for Drug Abuse Policy at the White House. Dr. Macdonald is currently serving as Special Assistant to the President. Dr. Macdonald will continue as the President's adviser for drug abuse policy and is also providing advice and assistance regarding AIDS and the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemic.
Dr. Macdonald came to the White House as Special Assistant to the President in February 1987 from the Department of Health and Human Services, where he served as Administrator of the Alcohol, Drug Abuse, and Mental Health Administration from July 1984 to June 1988. He also served as Acting Assistant Secretary for Health from December 1985 to July 1986. Dr. Macdonald is an Assistant Surgeon General in the U.S. Public Health Service and, since his appointment by the President in 1984, has served as a Governor of the American National Red Cross. Prior to joining the administration, Dr. Macdonald was a practicing pediatrician in Clearwater, FL, and a national leader in the parents movement against drug abuse. He was a clinical associate professor of pediatrics at the University of South Florida, College of Medicine, and a member of the Florida Medical Association, serving as chairman of the association's committee on substance abuse. He has been affiliated with numerous professional and public organizations and is the author of numerous articles on substance abuse and related topics.
Dr. Macdonald graduated from Williams College in Williamstown, MA (1952), and Temple University Medical School in Philadelphia, PA (1958). He is married and has four children. He was born April 15, 1931, in New York City.
Ronald Reagan, Appointment of Donald Ian Macdonald as Deputy Assistant to the President for Drug Abuse Policy Online by Gerhard Peters and John T. Woolley, The American Presidency Project https://www.presidency.ucsb.edu/node/254728