Baldwin High School alumna Jill McDonnell had a clear career trajectory and her teachers at BHS gave her tools to excel in her chosen path. Ever since she was young, she was interested in surgery. McDonnell explains, “All of my BWSD teachers knew I wanted to be a doctor one day, and they were (and many still are!) some of my biggest cheerleaders. I was able to explore these interests and set myself up with a solid foundation for college through AP credits, anatomy and physiology with Mr. Radomsky, organic chemistry, and extracurricular activities like shadowing. I will credit my BHS English teachers for my strong writing foundation that has brought many compliments on the quality of my patient notes.”
McDonnell’s academic journey began at the University of Pittsburgh, where she earned a Bachelor of Science in Molecular Biology in 2018. She continued her education at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, receiving her MD in 2022. Today, she serves as a fourth-year OBGYN Resident Physician at Swedish Medical Center in Seattle, Washington. Her daily work is a dynamic mix of inpatient and outpatient obstetric care.
For McDonnell, the most rewarding aspect of her work is the profound impact health has on a patient’s life. She reflects, “Reproductive health affects our lives every day without realizing it. This can include building a family or figuring out how to prevent that, planning your life around terrible periods, or navigating the ups and downs of (peri)menopause. I have the ability to dramatically improve the quality and outlook of someone's life while simultaneously doing something I find interesting and technically challenging. OBGYN is also a very physically and emotionally vulnerable field, and you are with people for the best and worst days of their lives. All of these factors create a special type of patient-physician relationship that is incredibly rewarding. Specifically with endometriosis and pelvic pain, where patients are often dismissed or incompletely treated for years or decades, it’s a privilege to be the person who can look them in the eye and say ‘You are not making this up. This is not normal. And I have the tools to improve your daily life.’”
McDonnell will soon transition to Washington D.C. for a fellowship at MedStar Georgetown. This specialized training will allow her to focus full-time on complex surgeries for conditions such as advanced endometriosis and large fibroids.
She encourages current BHS students to pursue their unique interests. "Explore those weird niches you have! No one needs to follow the 'typical' route. Medical school and residency directors love to see non-traditional backgrounds and unique talents."
