Jean O'Connor - College of Public Health UGA

Jean O’Connor

Health Policy & Management

Part-time Associate Professor

Health Policy & Management

Dr. Jean C. O’Connor is a public health practitioner with more than two decades of experience. In addition to serving as a part-time associate professor of health policy and management at the University of Georgia, she is the Director of the Health Sector at Econometrica, Inc. Her prior experience includes senior scientific and leadership roles in state public health, with CDC, in global health, and delivering health services at the community level. In these roles, she has worked with communities, educators, policy makers, and private sector leaders to develop and evaluate programs and policies related to healthcare accessibility and affordability; COVID-19; chronic disease prevention; alcohol, tobacco and other substance use; and emergency preparedness and response.

Dr. O’Connor is also an adjunct professor of behavioral sciences and health policy at the Rollins School of Public Health at Emory and a member of the Board of Directors for Heluna Health. She earned her DrPH from UNC Chapel Hill in 2009 and her JD and MPH from Emory University in 2001. She is a member of the Bar, a fellow in the American College of Healthcare Executives, and was named as a Fulbright Specialist in Global Health and Law in 2018. The students in the UGA Department of Health Policy and Management selected her for the Faculty award for her teaching in 2024.

Education

DrPH, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, 2009
JD, Emory University School of Law, 2001
MPH, Emory University School of Law, 2001
BS, Emory University

Areas of Expertise

Health Policy and Management
Public Health Law
Chronic Disease
Public Health Preparedness and Response
State and Local Health Departments

Selected Publications

Ebell M., Hall S.P., Rustin C.R., Powell-Threets K., Munoz L., Toodle L., Lu M., & O’Connor J.C. (2019). The effect of a multi-component, multi-trigger intervention to enhance asthma control in high risk African-American children. Preventing Chronic Disease, 16:180387. DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.5888/pcd16.180387

Ebell M.H., Marchello C., Meng L., O’Connor J.C., Burden and social determinants of asthma among children in Georgia (2019). J. Community Health. 44(5), 941-947. DOI: 10.1007/s10900-019-00642-9.

Allen, P., O’Connor, J. C., Best, L., Lakshman, M., Jacob, R., & Brownson, R. C. (2018). Management practices to build evidence-based decision making for chronic disease prevention in Georgia: A case study. Preventing Chronic Disease, 15, 170482. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.170482

Gentili, M., Harati, P., Serban, N., O’Connor, J. C., & Swann J. (2018). Quantifying disparities in accessibility and availability of pediatric primary care across multiple states with implications for targeted interventions. Health Services Research, 53(3), 1458–1477. https://doi.org/10.1111/1475-6773.12722

Byers, S., O’Connor, J., Powell-Threets, K., Taylor, B., Padgett, K., & Hallow, K. M. (2017). Analysis of hypertension control rates among participants in the Georgia Hypertension Management and Outreach Program. Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association, 7(1), 45–47. https://doi.org/10.21633/jgpha.7.108

Vall, E. A., Kibbe, D. L., Greene, C., Smith, K. S., & O’Connor, J. C. (2017). Leading the way in preventing childhood obesity in Georgia. Public Health Reports, 132(2 Suppl), 3S–6S. https://doi.org/10.1177/0033354917722993

O’Connor, J. C. (2017). Chronic disease prevention as an adaptive leadership problem. Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association, 6(4), 398–400. https://doi.org/10.21633/jgpha.6.401

Paris, N. M., Gabram-Mendola, S. G. A., Kerber, A. S., O’Connor, J., Crane, B. E., Martin, M. L., … Bellcross, C. A. (2016). Hereditary breast and ovarian cancer: Risk assessment in minority women and provider knowledge gaps. Journal of Community and Supportive Oncology, 14(6), 261–267. Retrieved from https://www.mdedge.com/sites/default/files/issues/articles/JCSO_June_261_Paris.pdf

Berg, C. J., Ribisl, K. M., Thrasher, J. F., Haardörfer, R., O’Connor, J., & Kegler, M. C. (2015). Reactions to cigarette taxes and related messaging: Is the South different? American Journal of Health Behavior, 39(5), 721–731. PMCID: PMC4530464. https://doi.org/10.5993/AJHB.39.5.13

Berg, C. J., Thrasher, J. F., O’Connor, J., Haardörfer, R., & Kegler, M. C. (2015). Reactions to smoke-free policies and messaging strategies in support and opposition: A comparison of Southerners and non-Southerners in the US. Health Behavior and Policy Review, 2(6), 408–420. PMCID: PMC4686148. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd15.170482

News & Media Mentions

Podcast series on population health: https://www.chronicdisease.org/news/news.asp?id=393313

Diabetes and hypertension print interview: https://www.georgiahealthnews.com/2017/10/er-visits-diabetes-rise-georgia/

Tobacco print and radio interview: https://www.wsbradio.com/news/health-med-fit-science/cdc-pushing-more-than-ever-for-smoke-free-living-work-spaces/ICw2QzsxYOwvlin2TFRQsM/

E-cigarette television interview: https://newschannel9.com/news/local/georgia-officials-warn-teens-to-avoid-e-cigarettes

Stroke magazine interview: https://www.hhnmag.com/articles/3350-when-stroke-care-is-a-statewide-effort