Dr. Kelly O’Connor is an Assistant Professor of Surgery and Psychology at Virginia Commonwealth University and a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with expertise in treating traumatic stress and externalizing disorders among youth. Her program of research focuses on preventing violence and trauma and promoting resilience among youth and families. She has more than 10 years of experience conducting violence prevention research in school, community, and hospital settings and has published over 40 manuscripts as a result of this work. Her current CDC-funded research is focused on youth firearm safety. Her program of research aims to inform strengths-based and culturally-relevant programs, policies, and practices that bolster positive youth development and reduce the public health burden of firearm violence.

Dr. O’Connor is seeking motivated students to join her research team. Please email Dr. O’Connor to inquire about opportunities to get involved in her ongoing research if you are interested
in:

• Working on projects focused on preventing gun violence, trauma/PTSD, risk and resilience,
  addressing health inequities and helping youth thrive.
• Gaining experience with participant recruitment, data collection, data analysis, and local
  conference presentations at VCU.
• Learning about different career paths and how to apply to graduate school.

Team members who demonstrate commitment to a research career may also have opportunities to present at national conferences or co-author manuscripts for publication in peer-reviewed journals.