Faculty and Staff

Mary O'Connor, RN, MS, PhD - Assistant Professor

Mary O'Connor

Phone: 816.235.5385

Email: oconnormary@umkc.edu

CV: OConnorM.pdf

Biography: Mary O’Connor RN MS PhD is an Assistant Professor. She teaches undergraduate and graduate courses. Research interests are related to factors impacting Maternal Child morbidity and mortality.

Research to identify factors which contribute to improved outcomes in the health of newborns and mothers has been an interest of mine since working as a Public Health Nurse during the race riots of the 60’s. The presence within the community of institutions which combine efforts to provide professional health education, neonatal, and perinatal care as well as the monitoring outcome data as a basis for evidence of best practice further the ability to positively impact the health and well being of mothers and newborns. Reducing Maternal Infant Morbidity and Mortality requires a desire for continuous quality improvement as well as an ability to cross disciplines, establish, maintain and share data from projects such as the Fetal Infant Mortality Review and the Perinatal Periods of Risk Project.

Recent Publications:

  • Thorp, J., O’Connor, M., Beldon, B., Etzenhouser, J., Hoffman, E. & Jones, P. (2003). Effects of phenobarbitol and multiple dose antenatal postnatal steroids on developmental outcome at age 7 years. Obstetrics and Gynecology, 101(2), 363-73.
  • Rasmussen, L., O’Connor, M., Shinkle, S., & Thomas, M., (2000). The basic Research Checklist. Journal of Continuing Nursing Education, 3(1), 13-7.
  • Thorp, J., Whiter, R., Westergom, K., & O’Connor, M., (1999). Intracranial hemorrhage in premature neonates. Epidemiology and Prevention, Disease Management (June 11), 421-33.
  • Thorp, J., O’Connor, M., Jones, A., Hoffman, E., & Beldon, B., (1999). Does phenobarbitol exposure affect developmental outcome at age 2 years. American Journal of Perinatology, 6(2), 51-60.
  • O’Connor, M. (1997). Fetal maternal case management. Nursing Case Management, 2(2), 55-9.


    • Grants:

  • KC Healthy Start, Fetal Infant Mortality Review Qualitative Study, 2007.



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