Dr. Kevin P. O’Connor, MD was awarded the John H. Clark, MD Leadership Award

Dr. Kevin P. O’Connor, MD was awarded the John H. Clark, MD Leadership Award by the Federation of State Medical Boards. This is the highest honor awarded to a member of a state medical board for “outstanding and exemplary leadership, commitment and contribution in advancing the public good at the state board level.”

The Federation of State Medical Boards, the body that oversees and supports medical licensing and examination for the United States and Canada, has awarded Dr. Kevin P. O’Connor, MD the John H. Clark, MD Leadership Award. It is the highest honor awarded to a member of a state medical board for “outstanding and exemplary leadership, commitment and contribution in advancing the public good at the state board level.”

The award is in recognition of Dr. O’Connor’s unwavering leadership in multiple roles while serving two four-year terms under three different Virginia governors. He was initially appointed to the Board by Governor McDonnell (R) in 2012. He was reappointed by Governor McAuliffe (D) in 2016, underscoring his superlative service to the citizens of the Commonwealth.

Dr. O’Connor led the Board through two significant policy challenges, telemedicine and the opioid crisis. In 2014 and 2015 he chaired the Ad Hoc Committee on Telemedicine, which was comprised of stakeholder groups including academic institutions, telehealth organizations, private sector telehealth representatives, other state agencies, and more. His leadership of this diverse group resulted in a balanced guidance document that supports telehealth practice by all professions licensed by the Board of Medicine. With minor modifications over the years, the document still stands as excellent guidance on telehealth for Virginia licensees and those who wish to practice telehealth in Virginia.

Another very significant policy challenge that Dr. O’Connor addressed was the development of the Virginia Board’s Regulations on the Prescribing of Opioids and Buprenorphine. With work commencing in January 2017, Dr. O’Connor, as Chair of the Legislative Committee, was a leading figure in the development of the regulations. The resulting emergency regulations were finished in record time and signed into effect on March 15, 2017, by Governor McAuliffe. Since adoption, the Virginia regulations have been considered a balanced approach and model for other jurisdictions.

During his tenure on the Board, Dr. O’Connor served as Secretary-Treasurer, Vice President and, with the unanimous support of his colleagues on the Board, two years as President (2017-2019). Additionally, in 2018 he was appointed to serve on the Committee of the Joint Boards of Nursing and Medicine. Bringing his experience of working with nurse practitioners to bear, Dr. O’Connor helped craft the final resolution governing the autonomous practice of nurse practitioners in the Commonwealth. In 2017, Governor McAuliffe appointed him to the Board of Health Professions, a body that has representatives from all twelve health regulatory boards within the Department of Health Professions. One of the chief functions of the Board of Health Professionals is to study the need for licensure of emerging professions. In 2018, Dr. O’Connor revised the licensing process at the Virginia Board. He updated the review process for applications to ensure that more of his colleagues on the Board were involved in final reviews of non-routine applications. Dr. O’Connor has also served on the Federation of State Medical Board’s Strategic Planning Committee.

The John H. Clark, MD Leadership Award is presented annually to a state board member in memory of Dr. Clark, a former Chair of the Utah Physicians Licensing Board, Federation of State Medical Board President (1982-1983), known for his leadership and integrity.