Kevin C. O'Connor is an American

physician A physician, medical practitioner (British English), medical doctor, or simply doctor is a health professional who practices medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring health through the Medical education, study, Med ...

and retired

U.S. Army colonel A colonel () in the United States Army, Marine Corps, Air Force and Space Force, is the most senior field-grade military officer rank, immediately above the rank of lieutenant colonel and just below the rank of brigadier general. Colonel is ...

who served as the

physician to the president The physician to the president is the formal and official title of the physician whom the president of the United States chooses to be their personal physician. The physician to the president and the director of the White House Medical Unit are ...

under President Joe Biden. He was replaced by

Sean Barbabella Sean Patrick Barbabella is a US Navy captain and osteopathic physician specializing in emergency and tactical medicine. Since 2025, he has served as the physician to the president under Donald Trump. Early life and education Barbabella is a n ...

on March 7, 2025.

Education

O'Connor attended college at

St. Bonaventure University St. Bonaventure University is a private university, private Franciscan university in St. Bonaventure, New York. It has 2,760 undergraduate and graduate students. The Order of Friars Minor, Franciscans established the university in 1858. In ath ...

on a

US Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of the United Stat ...

Reserve Officers' Training Corps The Reserve Officers' Training Corps (ROTC; or ) is a group of college- and university-based officer-training programs for training commissioned officers of the United States Armed Forces. While ROTC graduate officers serve in all branches o ...

(ROTC) scholarship, graduating with a major in biology and minor in theology. In 1992, he graduated

medical school A medical school is a tertiary educational institution, professional school, or forms a part of such an institution, that teaches medicine, and awards a professional degree for physicians. Such medical degrees include the Bachelor of Medicine, ...

from the

New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine The New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine (NYIT-COM) is a private medical school located primarily in Old Westbury, New York. It also has a degree-granting campus in Jonesboro, Arkansas. Founded in 1977, NYIT-COM is ...

. He completed

residency training Residency or postgraduate training is a stage of graduate medical education. It refers to a qualified physician (one who holds the degree of MD, DO, MBBS/MBChB), veterinarian ( DVM/VMD, BVSc/BVMS), dentist ( DDS or DMD), podiatrist ( DPM), o ...

family medicine Family medicine is a medical specialty that provides continuing and comprehensive health care for the individual and family across all ages, genders, diseases, and parts of the body. The specialist, who is usually a primary care physician, is ...

at The Mountainside Hospital in

Montclair, New Jersey Montclair is a Township (New Jersey), township in Essex County, New Jersey, Essex County in the U.S. state of New Jersey. Situated on the cliffs of the Watchung Mountains, Montclair is a commercial and cultural hub of North Jersey and a diverse ...

, 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.

Career

O’Connor served 22 years in the U.S. Army, including tours of duty with the

82nd Airborne Division The 82nd Airborne Division is an Airborne forces, airborne infantry division (military), division of the United States Army specializing in Paratrooper, parachute assault operations into hostile areasSof, Eric"82nd Airborne Division" ''Spec Ops ...

75th Ranger Regiment The 75th Ranger Regiment, also known as the United States Army Rangers, Army Rangers, is the United States Army Special Operations Command's premier light infantry and direct-action raid force. The 75th Ranger Regiment is also part of Joint S ...

, and

United States Army Special Operations Command The United States Army Special Operations Command (Airborne) (USASOC) is the command charged with overseeing the various Special forces, special operations forces of the United States Army. Headquartered at Fort Bragg, North Carolina, it i ...

, and over a decade at the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. Located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue Northwest (Washington, D.C.), NW in Washington, D.C., it has served as the residence of every U.S. president ...

. O'Connor has received the Combat Medic Badge. He is on faculty at

George Washington University The George Washington University (GW or GWU) is a Private university, private University charter#Federal, federally-chartered research university in Washington, D.C., United States. Originally named Columbian College, it was chartered in 1821 by ...

, where he served as the founding director of executive medicine. He worked for three years in the

George W. Bush administration George W. Bush's tenure as the 43rd president of the United States began with his first inauguration on January 20, 2001, and ended on January 20, 2009. Bush, a Republican from Texas, took office following his narrow electoral college vict ...

. In 2013, he was inducted into the Order of Military Medical Merit. He began service as a physician in the White House in 2006 under the Bush administration. In 2009, O'Connor was named physician to the vice president. In 2017, O'Connor retired from the US Army as

colonel Colonel ( ; abbreviated as Col., Col, or COL) is a senior military Officer (armed forces), officer rank used in many countries. It is also used in some police forces and paramilitary organizations. In the 17th, 18th, and 19th centuries, a colon ...

. In January 2020, he was appointed medical director of St. Bonaventure University's Franciscan Health Care Professions program. According to Biden's memoir '' Promise Me, Dad'', O'Connor worked closely with the

Biden family The family of Joe Biden, the 46th president of the United States, includes members prominent in law, education, activism and politics. Biden's immediate family was the first family of the United States from 2021 to 2025 during Biden's presi ...

during

Beau Biden Joseph Robinette "Beau" Biden III (February 3, 1969 – May 30, 2015) was an American politician, lawyer, and officer in the Judge Advocate General's Corps, U.S. Army, Army Judge Advocate General's Corps from Wilmington, Delaware, Wilmingt ...

's battle with brain cancer. In 2017, he collaborated with James Biden to create a healthcare program with Americore for veterans.

White House

A few days after his inauguration, President

Joe Biden Joseph Robinette Biden Jr. (born November 20, 1942) is an American politician who was the 46th president of the United States from 2021 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party, he served as the 47th vice p ...

announced that he would appoint O'Connor as the White House physician. His predecessor, Sean Conley, was physician to previous president

Donald Trump Donald John Trump (born June 14, 1946) is an American politician, media personality, and businessman who is the 47th president of the United States. A member of the Republican Party (United States), Republican Party, he served as the 45 ...

and departed the White House alongside Trump on January 20, 2021. On July 21, 2022, O'Connor diagnosed Biden with

COVID-19 Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is a contagious disease caused by the coronavirus SARS-CoV-2. In January 2020, the disease spread worldwide, resulting in the COVID-19 pandemic. The symptoms of COVID‑19 can vary but often include fever ...

and prescribed him with Paxlovid. There was commentary on O'Connor not briefing the White House Press Corps during Biden's illness, instead communicating through memoranda addressed to the

White House press secretary The White House press secretary is a senior White House official whose primary responsibility is to act as spokesperson for the executive branch of the United States federal government, especially with regard to the president, senior aides and ...

Karine Jean-Pierre Karine Jean-Pierre (born August 13, 1974) is an American political advisor who served as the White House Press Secretary, White House press secretary from May 2022 to January 2025, and a senior advisor to President Joe Biden from October 2024 t ...

. On July 7, 2024,

James Comer James Richardson Comer Jr. ( ; born August 19, 1972) is an American politician from Kentucky who represents the state's Kentucky's 1st congressional district, 1st congressional district in the United States House of Representatives. A member of ...

, chair of the

House Oversight Committee The Committee on Oversight and Government Reform is the main investigative United States congressional committee, committee of the United States House of Representatives. The committee's broad jurisdiction and legislative authority make it one o ...

, sent a letter to O'Connor to ask him to come testify. Comer wants him to testify on Biden's health, due to Biden's poor performance at the June 2024 presidential debate with

, and how it could be connected to alleged business dealings with the Biden family. On July 17, 2024, O'Connor diagnosed Biden with COVID-19 and prescribed him with Paxlovid.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:OConnor, Kevin 21st-century American physicians American osteopathic physicians Biden administration personnel Family physicians George Washington University faculty Living people New York Institute of Technology alumni Physicians to the president of the United States St. Bonaventure University alumni United States Army colonels United States Army Medical Corps officers Year of birth missing (living people)