Michael O'Connor, D.O.

Department Chair

Michael O’Connor, DO, is Chairman of the Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia in the Institute of Anesthesiology, as well as a Staff anesthesiologist and critical care medicine physician at the main campus of Cleveland Clinic. He is board-certified as a Diplomate of the American Board of Anesthesiology, and he holds subspecialty certification in critical care medicine. Dr. O’Connor’s clinical specialty interests include the postoperative care and management of cardiothoracic surgery patients. His professional interests include the education of residents and fellows in anesthesia, medical ethics and professionalism in medicine.

A native of Cleveland, Ohio, Dr. O’Connor completed his undergraduate work at the University of Notre Dame, and he received his Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine from the Chicago College of Osteopathic Medicine. He continued his clinical training with a residency in anesthesiology at the Naval Regional Medical Center in Oakland, California, followed by fellowship training in cardiotonic anesthesia at the Cleveland Clinic. Dr. O’Connor also completed fellowship training in critical care medicine in 1996 and achieved board-certification in critical care medicine in 1997. Dr. O’Connor has been awarded the “Outstanding Clinical Instructor in Anesthesia” twice, first in 1992 by the Naval Hospital Oakland, and again in 1993 by the Division of Anesthesia at the Cleveland Clinic. He was also honored as a Bruce Hubbard Stewart Fellow by the Department of Bioethics at the Cleveland Clinic in 1995.

Dr. O’Connor is a Captain in the Medical Corps of the United States Navy. Prior to his appointment to the Cleveland Clinic in 1992 as a staff anesthesiologist, Dr. O’Connor served in the active duty Navy as an aviation medical officer at the Meridian Naval Air Station in Mississippi. He also served with the United States Marine Corps during Operation Desert Storm/Desert Shield in Saudi Arabia and Kuwait in 1990 and 1991. Later, Dr. O'Connor served as the battalion surgeon for the 3rd Marine Division, 25th Marines from Brookpark, OH. More recently, Dr. O'Connor was recalled to active duty for 10 months and served as department head of anesthesia at Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune from 2005 through 2006 in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Dr. O’Connor continued professional development by obtaining a Master in Public Health (MPH) from Cleveland State University in May of 2004. His personal interests in public health led him to accept an appointment to the Board of Directors for the Montaña de Luz Orphanage for Children with HIV/AIDS in Honduras, Central America. He was a community instructor in “Grantwriting in Public Health” through the Northeastern Ohio Universities MPH Program. He also served as an instructor in HIV/AIDS for the American Red Cross. He has volunteered on several U. S. Navy Medical Readiness brigades to Central America.

Dr. O’Connor has published articles and abstracts on his specialty interests in leading publications, including the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia. Dr. O’Connor is a member of the American Society of Anesthesiologists, the Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists, the American Society for Critical Care Anesthesiologists, and the American Public Health Association.

• Chairman, Department of Cardiothoracic Anesthesia, Institute of Anesthesia, Cleveland Clinic, 2008--present
• Department Head, Anesthesia, Naval Hospital Camp Lejeune, in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom, June 2005--March 2006
• Medical Director, Operational Hospital Support Unit, Detachment D, Navy Operational Support Center, Cleveland/Akron, 2005-2008

• Master in Public Health, Cleveland State University, 2004

Critical Care Medicine

Anesthesiology

• For Service in Operation Desert Shield/Storm: Armed Forces Expeditionary Medal, Sea Service Deployment Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Ribbon, National Defense Medal, Fleet Marine Force Ribbon, April 1991
• Outstanding Clinical Instructor, Department of Anesthesiology, Naval Regional Medical Center, Oakland, California, June 1992
• Outstanding Clinical Teacher, Division of Anesthesiology & Critical Care Medicine, Cleveland Clinic, June 1993
• Bruce Hubbard Stewart Award for Humanistic Medicine
  Division of Education, Cleveland Clinic, 1995-96
• Beta Gamma Sigma Invitation, Outstanding Academic Performance, MPH Program, Cleveland State University, April 2004
• For Service in Operation Iraqi Freedom: Navy & Marine Corps Achievement Medal, Global War on Terrorism Service Medal, March 2006

• American Society of Anesthesiologists
• Society of Cardiovascular Anesthesiologists
• American Society of Critical Care Anesthesiologists
• American Public Health Association
• Society for Education in Anesthesia