Gold Medal Policing

Judy McDonald is an Adjunct Professor in the School of Epidemiology and Public Health with the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Ottawa and former Associate Director at the McLaughlin Centre for Population Health Risk Assessment. She earned her PhD from University of Westminster, UK, specializing in operational readiness for high-risk professions. Her applied research over the past three decades has focused on understanding readiness strategies in diverse population groups working in high-risk and demanding professions where excellence carries serious life-or-death consequences. Study populations have ranged from Olympic athletes to surgeons and air traffic controllers. Her initial study with Ottawa Hospital surgeons revealed parallels between surgical and Olympic athlete mental-readiness practices, acclaimed as a landmark in the medical community. Subsequent research illustrated the need for systematic mental training in the high-stress world of air traffic control, leading to mandatory trainee courses and an "Advanced Situational Awareness Program" for seasoned controllers, flight service specialists, and trainers in Navigation (NAV) Canada. This pioneering perspective underpins her work in operational risk assessment, now successfully applied in policing, as well as other high-performance occupations such as dentistry, financial auditing, and Sherpa high-altitude guiding. McDonald extends her expertise globally, supervising, lecturing, and conducting workshops. Her efforts advance operational readiness for high-risk professions, safeguarding lives.