Kevin O'Connor (physician)
Kevin O'Connor is an American physician and retired U.S. Army Colonel serving as the physician to the president.[1]
Kevin O'Connor | |
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Physician to the President | |
Assumed office January 25, 2021 | |
President | Joe Biden |
Preceded by | Sean Conley |
Personal details | |
Education | St. Bonaventure University (BS) New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (DO) |
Military service | |
Allegiance | United States |
Branch/service | United States Army |
Rank | Colonel |
Awards | Combat Medic Badge Order of Military Medical Merit |
Education
O'Connor attended college at St. Bonaventure University on a US Army Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC) scholarship, graduating with a major in biology and minor in theology.[2][1] In 1992, he graduated from the New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine.[1] He completed residency training in family medicine at The Mountainside Hospital in Montclair, New Jersey,[3] where he served as chief resident in 1995. He also completed U.S. Army flight surgeon training and was designated a master flight surgeon in 2010.[4]
Career
O’Connor served 22 years in the U.S. Army, including tours of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, 75th Ranger Regiment, and United States Army Special Operations Command, and over a decade at the White House.[5] O'Connor has received the Combat Medic Badge.[1] He is on faculty at George Washington University, where he served as the founding director of executive medicine.[3][4] In 2013, he was inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit.[3] He was appointed to serve as White House physician in 2006 under the Bush Administration.[6] In 2009, O'Connor was named physician to the Vice President.[7] Since 2009, he has been Joe Biden's primary care physician.[8] In 2017, O'Connor retired from the US Army as Colonel.[6] In January 2020, he was appointed medical director of St. Bonaventure University’s Franciscan Health Care Professions program.[2]
White House physician
A few days after his inauguration, president Joe Biden announced that he would appoint Dr. Kevin O'Connor as the White House physician. His predecessor, Dr. Sean Conley, was physician to president Donald Trump and departed the White House alongside Trump on January 20, 2021.[9]
References
- "Kevin O'Connor". NYIT. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- Holliday, Anne (January 30, 2020). "Former Physician to VP to Head Bona's FHCP Program". WESB News.
- "Kevin O'Connor, DO". The GW Medical Faculty Associates. George Washington University.
- "Meet new White House physician Kevin O'Connor". January 25, 2021.
- "Biden to replace White House doctor with long-time physician". ABC. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
- Sederstrom, Jill (June 13, 2019). "FP Reflects on Service on Front Lines of Family Medicine". American Academy of Family Physicians.
- Glueck, Katie; Martin, Jonathon (July 29, 2019). "Why Joe Biden's Age Worries Some Democratic Allies and Voters". The New York Times. NYT. Retrieved December 17, 2020.
- Mucha, Sarah (November 29, 2020). "Biden to be examined by orthopedist after twisting ankle". KTBS-3.
- "Biden replaces controversial White House physician". CNN. January 25, 2021. Retrieved January 25, 2021.
Conley generated controversy in the fall when he admitted to offering rosy descriptions of Trump's condition because the White House wanted to project optimism.
Military offices | ||
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Preceded by Sean Conley |
Physician to the President 2021–present |
Incumbent |