As state Health Department commissioner, Dr. James McDonald leads on science and healthcare.

As a pediatrician, McDonald has administered tens of thousands of vaccines.

And as a dad, McDonald cares for two adult sons, who have autism spectrum disorder, and a daughter, who does not.

McDonald, 63, of Latham, New York, wears all three hats as he navigates the misinformation and uncertainty dotting an increasingly complex public health landscape. 

But it's the pediatrician who often emerges first, the voice needed most now.

A roundup of highlights from Newsday's Opinion Department.

By clicking Sign up, you agree to our privacy policy.

McDonald recalls treating an Amish infant with bacterial meningitis about 20 years ago, a child who survived thanks to a spinal tap and a quick hospital transfer. He remembers routinely sending children to the hospital with rotavirus and treating severe cases of respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV.

Such diseases, he noted this week, should now be on the verge of elimination, thanks to........

© Newsday