Dr. O’Connor is a quantitative epidemiologist whose work informs policy in food safety, public health, environmental toxicology, animal health, welfare, and veterinary clinical practice. She is recognized internationally for advancing systematic reviews, meta-analyses, guideline development, and research translation to reduce waste and maximize societal returns on research investment.
She co-led the REFLECT and Vet-STROBE statements to improve the reproducibility and utility of veterinary research, and leads the SYREAF (www.syreaf.com) and MERIDIAN (https://meridian-network.org) initiatives, providing critical resources for researchers worldwide. These projects involve extensive international collaboration and have significantly influenced veterinary research reporting.
Dr. O’Connor is a member of the International Collaboration for Automation of Systematic Reviews and has authored over 200 peer-reviewed publications. She has advised agencies such as the European Food Safety Authority and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
An experienced educator, she teaches epidemiology, causal inference, systematic reviews, and meta-analysis in courses and workshops. She has served as president of the Conference of Research Workers in Animal Disease and the American Association of Veterinary Preventive Medicine, and is current chair of the American Veterinary Medical Association’s Council on Research. She also serves in senior administrative roles in veterinary higher education.