Who Is Dr. Kevin O'Connor? Joe Biden Appoints U.S. Army Veteran as White House Doctor
President Joe Biden has named U.S. Army veteran Dr. Kevin O'Connor as the new White House physician.
O'Connor, who is set to replace Donald Trump's doctor Dr. Sean Conley, has been Biden's primary care physician since 2009, first serving under the then vice president in the early stages of the Obama administration.
In this role, O'Connor provided primary care for Biden and the second family, with the doctor responsible for looking after them at home and on any trips they took.
Prior to working with Biden, O'Connor also served under the Bush-Cheney administration as a White House physician from 2006-2009.
The doctor spent a total of 22 years in the Army as a physician, visiting more than 70 countries in the process.
His service involved several tours of duty with the 82nd Airborne Division, 75th Ranger Regiment, and U.S. Army Special Operations Command, deploying on numerous combat rotations in countries including Iraq, Afghanistan and Bosnia.
O'Connor was awarded several decorations for his service, including the Combat Medic Badge, which is given to army medical personnel who have performed their duties while simultaneously facing enemy fire.
When O'Connor joined the White House in 2006, his role was only meant to last three years. But shortly after Barack Obama was sworn in, Biden asked him to stay on and O'Connor has remained as the current President's personal physician ever since.
Most White House doctors are active-duty military officers, or have at least served in the army. Shortly after Obama's second term officially ended in 2017, O'Connor retired from military service, although he remained in his role as Biden's physician.
After retiring from the Army, O'Connor joined George Washington University as the director of executive medicine. In addition, he also serves as medical director of international and diplomatic affairs at George Washington University Hospital and associate professor of medicine and senior medical advisor for the health sciences programs at the School of Medicine & Health Sciences.
Dr. Lud Deppisch, a retired pathologist and author of The White House Physician: A History from Washington to George W. Bush, told ABC News it is "standard operating procedure for a president to choose their personal physician."
"But it's rare that a president comes into office with a doctor that has cared for them for over a decade," he said. "It's difficult to get their previous personal physician to Washington for two reasons. The pay stinks, comparatively. And secondly, usually the care of the president is not all that interesting. Not much goes wrong. Under George W. Bush and Barack Obama, nothing much happened."
Despite the nature of the job, Deppisch told ABC that the position was no less important than other physician roles.
"They're around a lot—it's quite a significant and tireless responsibility," he said.
