Thomas O’Connell RN, MBA, MSc (Dev Econ) has worked as a bricklayer, a cook, a supervisor in a mental health hospital, a registered nurse, and as a development economist, researcher and country support officer for WHO and UNICEF. Currently the CEO of Global Health Synergies based in the USA, he is also a member of the Board for the Faculty of Nursing and Midwifery at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, and an Adjunct Assistant Professor of Global Health at New York University.
A native of New York City, Mr. O’Connell started his public health career as a critical care and emergency room nurse in various hospitals throughout the USA, taking on supervisory, research and staff-education roles. His multi-faceted experience in nursing allowed him to join the US Permanent Mission to the United Nations in Geneva, Switzerland as the Health Services RN supporting the needs of the mission.
This led to a 20+ year career in global health, principally with WHO and UNICEF, to support country efforts to strengthen the governance and financing of their health systems. He progressively took on senior roles including working as WHO’s Country Support Officer for both the ‘Commission of Macroeconomics and Health’ implementation team and then for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership Secretariat.
Leading various research efforts on improving access to health services at UNICEF and WHO from 2007 to 2019, Mr. O’Connell joined the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care (PHC) in 2020. There, he established the WHO Global Health Initiatives Task Team (GHI-TT) as an advisory body to both the WHO Department for Health Systems Governance and Financing, and to the WHO Special Programme on Primary Health Care. The GHI-TT works to support adapting WHO’s norms and standards on PHC, HSS and universal health coverage (UHC) to the specific needs of countries receiving support from partners such as Gavi and GFATM. He also developed an internal monitoring system for WHO to tracking the s support by global partners to strengthening national health systems.
Mr. O’Connell has worked with 80+ countries in Africa, Asia, Eastern Europe, the Middle-East and South America to strengthen the governance and financing of health systems, led numerous research projects, and has designed and implemented innovative country support approaches. He has published articles on various facets of improving the equity and strength of health systems.
Curriculum Vitae available on request.