Kathleen O’Connell, MD, MPH

Hospice & Palliative Care Relations

Kathleen is a trauma surgeon and Director of Surgical Palliative Care at Harborview Medical Center. With extensive training in providing life-sustaining measures as a surgeon and critical care physician, and with specialty training in delivering comfort-focused treatments as a palliative care physician, she is uniquely positioned at the cross-section of critical illness, injury, and end-of-life. Kathleen believes that lack of preparation for end-of-life is a major public health crisis. She views sustainable death care as part of a growing cultural movement to destigmatize the narrative and process of preparing for death.

Kathleen has completed a BS from the University of Michigan, a MD from Wayne State University, General Surgery residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin, Surgical Critical Care fellowship, a Master in Public Health, and Hospice and Palliative Medicine fellowship all from the University of Washington.