Thomas J. O'Connell, M.D.
Biographical Sketch
Thomas J. O'Connell, M.D. is a just-retired thoracic surgeon from San Mateo
California. A New York City native, Dr. O'Connell received his A.B. from
Cornell in 1953 and M.D. from New York Medical
College in 1957. He discovered
the appeal of San Francisco during internship at SFGH,
but didn't return until 1967 as an army resident in thoracic surgery at
Letterman General Hospital.
During the intervening nine years, Dr. O'Connell was a Regular US Army
Medical officer, undergoing four years of general surgical training at
William Beaumont General Hospital in El Paso, followed
by a four year tour
as surgeon at the US Army Hospital in Camp Zama, Japan.
The last eighteen months of that experience provided unique participation
in the rapid expansion of the army medical facilities in the Tokyo area
which eventually provided surgical care to thousands of American casualties
from Viet Nam. During this interval, Dr. O'Connell served first as Chief
of Surgery, then later as Chief of Professional Services at Zama
Hospital and also as Consultant to US Army medical Command,
Japan.
Dr. O'Connell entered private practice of Thoracic Surgery in San
Francisco in 1971 after four years at Letterman. His interest in drug
policy issues began upon learning of the US program of spraying Mexican
marijuana fields with paraquat in the mid Seventies. This brought home the
essential inhumanity of American drug policy and stimulated reading in the
field.
His interest remained academic and impersonal for the next twenty years; he
continued to read about drug policy, and was troubled by the mounting
intensity of the drug war despite highly critical academic analysis. A
letter of inquiry to Joseph McNamara at the Hoover Institute
brought a suggestion that he attend the Ninth DPF Annual
Meeting in Santa Monica in October 1995.
Dr. O'Connell was converted to activism by his experiences at that
meeting; not only from listening to luminaries like Trebach, Glasser and
Elders, but from attending a
DRCNet recruiting
session hosted by Dave Borden, Cliff Schaffer and Jim Rosenfield. He recalls
meeting
Mark Greer as
a fellow computer novice. Dr. O'Connell promptly subscribed to
DRCNet upon returning
home and his life has not been the same since.
An early participant in MAP, Dr. O'Connell discovered a flair
for writing about drug policy issues. As a clinician with forty years of medical
practice he has seen first hand how drug policy fostering irrational fear
of addiction has distorted the attitudes of medical professionals and
adversely affects the management of patients in pain on a daily basis.
O'Connell's recent intense education in the history of drug policy has
helped him develop a clearer understanding of how his profession has been
used historically by prohibitionists to arrogate total control of drug
policy. He also understands that an ability to analyze the subtleties of the
critical interactions between public policy, biologic research, addiction
medicine, and clinical practice will continue to be an essential element in
the reform movement.
Curriculum Vitae
| Email: |
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| Home Address: |
195 Warren Road
San Mateo, CA 94401
(650) 348-6841 |
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| Office Address: |
Golden Gate Cardiothoracic, Inc.
180O Sullivan Avenue, Suite 302
Daly City CA 94015
Phone (650) 992-8200
Fax (650) 992-8388 |
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| Date of Birth: | January 18, 1932 |
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| Place of Birth: | New York, New York |
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| Marital Status: | Married |
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| Education: |
Cornell University, Ithaca, New York,
Sept. 1949 - June 1953, Bachelor of Arts
New York Medical College, New York City, Sept. 1949 - June 1953,
Doctor of Medicine
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| Internship: |
San Francisco General Hospital, San Francisco, California,
July 1957 - June 1958, Rotating Internship (UC) |
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| Residency: |
William Beaumont Army Hospital, El Paso, Texas, Sept. 1959 - Aug. 1963,
General Surgery Residency
Letterman General Hospital, San Francisco, California, Sept. 1967 - Aug. 1969,
Thoracic Surgery |
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Medical
Certification
and Affiliation: |
American College of Surgeons, Fellow, 1967
Samson Thoracic Surgical Society, 1974
Western Thoracic Surgical Society' Member, 1988
San Francisco Medical Society, Member, 1972
National Board of Medical Examiners, Diplomate, June 1958
American Board of Surgery, Diplomate, #12539, May 1964
American Board of Thoracic Surgery, Diplomate, #2060, October 1969
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| Military Service: |
Lieutenant Colonel MC, United States Army, July 3, 1958
- Oct. 22, 1971
US Army Dispensary, Fort Bliss, Texas, Aug. l958 - Sept 1959
Surgery Staff US Army Hospital, Camp Zama, Japan, Sept. 1963 - Aug. l967
Chief of Surgery US Army Hospital, Camp Zama, Japan, Dec. 1966 - Feb. 1967
Ch/Prof Services US Army Hospital, Camp Zema, Japan, Feb. 1967 - Aug. 1967
Consultant, General Surgery US Army Medical Command, Japan, Dec. 1967 - Aug. 1967
Assistant Chief, Thoracic and CV Surgery Letterman General Hospital San Francisco,
California, Sept. 1969 - Sept. 1971
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| Staff Privileges: |
Seton Medical Center, Daly City, CA
R.K. Davies Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
St. Luke's Hospital, San Francisco, CA
Mt. Zion/UC5F Medical Center, San Francisco, CA
Dominican Santa Cruz Hospital, Santa Cruz, CA
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