[1] On 1 July 2010 he was appointed the Chairman of the Independent Monitoring Board overseeing the polio eradication initiative coordinated by the World Health Organization.

[10] As a result of his reports as Chief Medical Officer, Donaldson has had a marked effect on policy and legislation in a wide range of areas including stem cell research, quality and safety of health care, infectious disease control, patient empowerment, clinical performance, temperance legislation, medical regulation, and organ and tissue retention.

[27] Subsequently, Prof. Alan Crockard the National Director of MMC resigned stating that the project had "lacked clear leadership from the top for a very long time".

Despite Prime Minister Gordon Brown's opposition to the move, Donaldson said he would continue to push his case, just as he had with the successful ban on smoking in public places.

[32][33] Liam Donaldson is co-author of a standard text book of public health,[34] a history of the Chief Medical Officer of England[35] and over 130 papers in peer review journals.

[36] In his role as Chief Medical Officer, Donaldson has produced a number of major reports, including: His papers are now archived as one of the special collections of Newcastle University.