Dr. O’Connor was raised in Herscher, Illinois, a town of 1200 people, west of Kankakee. He was instilled with a dedication to hard work and attention to detail at a young age, excelling in academics and athletics as a youth. He served as captain of his high school football and baseball teams. He quarterbacked his 1988 football team to the Illinois High School Association 3A Championship game, setting a state record for passing yards in the process. He was selected as an All-Kankakee Area first team athlete in both football and baseball. He also played point guard on one of his high school’s most successful basketball teams. In the Spring of 1989, he was awarded the Kankakee Daily Journal high school Scholar-Athlete of the year. At the same time, Dr. O’Connor was awarded the Schering-Plough national scholarship for athletes with asthma. He traveled to New York City to accept the award and also participated in a private meeting with President George H. Bush, as part of national asthma and allergy awareness week. Later that Spring, Dr. O’Connor served as Valedictorian of his high school graduating class.
From there, Dr. O’Connor attended the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he graduated with honors. He was awarded the highest University Honors, as a Bronze Tablet Sholar. His name is engraved on a tablet which hangs in the University’s Graduate Library. Dr. O’Connor was then accepted to the prestigious Northwestern University Medical School. He excelled in his clinical rotations and graduated in 1997. It was here where Dr. O’Connor developed a strong interest in Orthopedic Surgery, studying and completing research in total joint replacement. He presented the results of his research at the American Academy of Orthopedic Surgery national meeting in New Orleans, Louisiana.
Dr. O’Connor then accepted a position in the Northwestern University Department of Orthopedic Surgery residency program. He was eventually selected as the Chief Resident in 2001. In 2002, he completed residency training and was invited to study Sports Medicine at the renowned Orthopedic Specialty Hospital in Salt Lake City, Utah. There, he studied under Dr. Lonnie Paulos, one of the developers of the modern anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction surgery. During this fellowship year, Dr. O’Connor assisted in the care of many distinguished athletes, including members of the U.S. Ski team, collegiate, and professional athletes.
Dr. O’Connor has been caring for the people of Chicagoland since 2003. He has been very involved in youth sports, serving as a board member and President of Elmhurst Cougars Baseball and Softball Club. For many years he coached baseball and contributed to successful football and wrestling programs. In 2020 he successfully piloted the local youth baseball and softball program through the covid-19 pandemic and back to the field of play. He has also served as a sideline physician for multiple area high school football teams. More recently, Dr. O’Connor has given his time to the kids as a youth baseball and softball umpire. While caring for his patients, Dr. O’Connor continues to exhibit a deep commitment to excellence, as he has his entire life.