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Jean  O'Connor

Affiliated Professor

Adjunct Associate Professor

Adjunct or Visiting, Health Policy and Management

Adjunct or Visiting, Behavioral/Social/Health Educ

Affiliate, Executive MPH

Dr. Jean C. O'Connor is a public health practitioner with more than two decades of experience. In addition to serving as an Adjunct Professor at Rollins, she is a Principal with Abt Associates. 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 a part-time associate professor of health policy and management at the University of Georgia 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.

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Areas of Interest

  • Global Health
  • Health Policy
  • Implementation Science
  • Non-communicable Diseases
  • Public Health Leadership
  • Public Health Policy
  • Public Health Preparedness and Response

Education

  • MPH 2001, Rollins School of Public Health
  • BS 1998, Emory College of Arts and Sciences
  • JD 2001, Emory University School of Law
  • DrPH 2009, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Courses Taught

  • PRS 561D: PH Advocacy Capstone I

Affiliations & Activities

Board of Directors, Heluna Health / Public Health Foundation Enterprises (2013–present)

Chair, Governance Committee, Heluna Health (2019-present)

Board of Directors, Georgia Primary Care Association (2019-2020)

Board Member, American Diabetes Association (national) (2019-2020)

Board Member, Georgians for a Healthy Future (2018–2020)

Chair, Program Strategy Committee, Heluna Health (2015–2019)

Committee Member, Governance Committee, Heluna Health (2018-2019)

President, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (2017–2018)

President-Elect, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (2016–2017)

Board of Directors, National Association of Chronic Disease Directors (2014–2018)

Immediate Past President, Rollins School of Public Health Alumni Board (2009–2010)

President, Rollins School of Public Health Alumni Board (2008–2009)

President-Elect, Rollins School of Public Health Alumni Board (2007–2008)

Secretary, Rollins School of Public Health Alumni Board (2005–2006)

Board Member, Georgia Women’s Policy Group (2004–2007)

Founding Board Member and Treasurer, Public Health Law Association (2002–2008)

Publications

  • , , Chronic disease prevention as an adaptive leadership problem, Journal of the Georgia Public Health Association, ,
  • , , Quantifying disparities in accessibility and availability of pediatric primary care across multiple states with implications for targeted interventions, Journal of Health Services Research, ,
  • , , Paying for prevention: A critical opportunity for public health. , J of Law Med Ethics., 41 Suppl, 69-72
  • , , State Laws, Informational Privacy, and the Public’s Health , American Journal of Public Health , 101(10), 1845-1850
  • , , What Gets Measured, Gets Changed: Evaluating Law and Policy for Maximum Impact, American Journal of Law, Medicine, and Ethics, 39(s1), 21-26
  • , , A comprehensive review of state laws governing Internet and other delivery sales of cigarettes in the U.S.A. , Nicotine & Tobacco Research, 10(2), 253-265
  • , , Judicial decision-making, the public’s health, and state preemption of local tobacco ordinances., Journal of Law, Medicine and Ethics, 36(2), 403-12
  • , , Finding Lasting Legal Solutions to the Dual Epidemics of Methamphetamine Production and Use, North Dakota Law Review, 82, 1165
  • , , Reactions to smoke-free policies and messaging strategies in support and opposition: A comparison of Southerners and Non-Southerners in the US. , Health Policy and Behavior Review, ,