Commencement Speaker
Edward O'Neil, PhD, MPA, FAAN, is a Professor in the Departments of Family and Community Medicine, Preventive and Restorative Dental Sciences and Social and Behavioral Sciences (School of Nursing) at the University of California, San Francisco.
Dr. O'Neil is also director of the Center for the Health Professions at the University of California, San Francisco. The Center delivers nationally recognized health workforce research and leadership training program.
His work has focused on changing all dimensions of the US health care system through improved policy and leadership.
The Center for the Health Professions houses a number of initiatives that are designed to understand and address the issues facing health care and health professionals.
The Center's programs include the Pew Scholars Programs in the Biomedical Sciences, the Robert Wood Johnson Executive Nurse Fellows Program, the California Health Care Foundation's Health Care Leadership Program, the Integrated Nurse Leadership Program, the Pharmacy Leadership Institute, the Health Workforce Tracking Collaborative, the LEADing Organizational Change Program and the Center for California Health Workforce Studies and the Clinic Leadership Initiative.
In 2008 he created O'Neil and Associates, LLC, to assist organizations better understand the strategic challenges they face in a changing health care world and develop strategies and leadership competencies to succeed.
Dr. O'Neil served as the Executive Director of the Pew Health Professions Commission from 1989 through 1999; the Commission was a nationally recognized advocacy group focused on reform in health workforce issues.
He has published numerous articles, chapters and books on his two principle areas of work: health care and leadership development.
He is or has served as a consultant to the World Health Organization, Government of New Zealand, The Director's office of the National Institute of Health, the Genentech Corporation, National Institutes of Health, Rockefeller Foundation, Pew Charitable Trusts, W.K. Kellogg Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, California HealthCare Foundation, Blue Shield Foundation of California as well as a number of federal, state and institutional agencies.
He holds Bachelor's and Master's degrees from the University of Alabama and a Master's of Public Administration and Doctorate in History from Syracuse University. In addition he holds honorary degrees from New York Medical College, the Western University of Health Sciences and two other Universities. In 2003 he was elected to an honorary Fellowship in the American Academy of Nursing.
Dr. O'Neil spoke on growth and innovation at the colloquium during the 2008 inauguration of Dr. Janis Bellack as President of the MGH Institute of Health Professions.