Michael O'connor DO, MPH

Dr. Michael O’Connor has served as Chair of the Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesiology in the Anesthesiology Institute of the Cleveland Clinic since January 2008. He practices both cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the main campus of Cleveland Clinic. He is board-certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology (ABA) and also holds ABA subspecialty certification in Critical Care Medicine. His clinical interests include perioperative management of cardiogenic and septic shock, as well as critical response and resuscitation. His professional interests include leadership development, medical education, and advancing the clinical practice of anesthesiology and critical care through mentoring residents and fellows.

Dr. O’Connor attended the University of Notre Dame, earning a B.A. in English & Preprofessional Studies. He received his D.O. from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University and then completed a one-year internship at South Pointe Hospital in Warrensville Heights, Ohio. After a two-year tour in the U. S. Navy, Dr. O’Connor continued his clinical training at Naval Regional Medical Center, Oakland, California, completing residency training in anesthesiology. Dr. O’Connor did fellowship training in both cardiothoracic anesthesiology and critical care medicine at the Cleveland Clinic. He joined the Cleveland Clinic as an assistant staff physician in 1992 and has been honored as an ‘Outstanding Clinical Instructor’ twice in his career, first by the Department of Anesthesia at NRMC Oakland and then by the Division of Anesthesia in the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. O’Connor was also the recipient of the Bruce Hubbard Stewart Fellowship Award by the Department of Bioethics at the Cleveland Clinic in 1995 in recognition for his commitment to patient care.

Dr. O’Connor earned a Masters in Public Health through the Cleveland State University. He has served on the Board of Directors for the Montaña de Luz Orphanage for Children with HIV/AIDS in Honduras. He has participated in multiple medical mission trips to Central American with his Catholic parish and the U. S. Navy Reserve. Today Dr. O’Connor serves on the Board of Directors for the National Board of Certification and Recertification for Nurse Anesthetists (NBCRNA). In addition, he also serves on the Board of Directors for the Doctor Tom Dooley Society, a Notre Dame alumni mentoring organization for students interested in a career in the health sciences.

Dr. O’Connor started his active duty career in the Navy as a general medical officer (GMO) at Naval Air Station, Meridian, MS in 1985. He deployed with the 1st Marine Expeditionary Force to Saudi Arabia for Operation Desert Shield / Storm in 1990. After his honorable discharge in 1992, Dr. O’Connor rejoined the Navy Reserve in 1993 and serves as Battalion Surgeon of the 3rd Battalion, 25th Marine Regiment in Brook Park, OH. Dr. O’Connor was recalled to active duty in 2005 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, stationed at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, and served as the Head of the Department of Anesthesiology. His last duty station was National Naval Medical Center in Bethesda, MD. In 2010, Dr. O’Connor retired from the U.S. Navy Reserve as a Captain in the Medical Corps with 28 years of total service. Dr. O’Connor and his wife, Leslie, are most proud of their three children who all serve in the U.S. Navy today.