Christopher O'Connor, MHSA, FACHE

Prior to joining YNHHS in 2012, O’Connor served as president and CEO of the Hospital of Saint Raphael prior to its integration with Yale New Haven Hospital. From 2012 until 2020, O’Connor served as the executive vice president and chief operating officer for YNHHS.

Prior to being named president and CEO of the Hospital of Saint Raphael in 2009, O’Connor served as president of Caritas St. Elizabeth’s MedicalCenter in Boston, Massachusetts. Before that, he was the vice presidentof clinical operations for Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he was part of a leadership team that guided that organization though the devastation of Hurricane Katrina.

O’Connor assumed the role of president of the YNHH in the midst of the COVID pandemic and oversaw the reorientation of the Regional Operations Center from a central supply hub to a center for COVID operations including supplies and equipment. He led the charge to have PPE, medical supplies and critical equipment ordered, delivered, verifying for safety and distributed to hospitals in the health system.

As chief operating officer for Yale New Haven Health, O’Connor led a number of critical initiatives involving the Health System’s growth, including the affiliation with Lawrence + Memorial Hospital in 2016 and the acquisition of Milford Hospital by Bridgeport Hospital in 2019. O’Connor also serves on the Boards of Greenwich Hospital and Northeast Medical Group; and previously served on the Lawrence + Memorial Health Board.

O’Connor received both his bachelor’s degree and his master’s degree in Hospital Administration from George Washington University. He is a fellow of the American College of Healthcare Executives and serves as vice chair of the Connecticut Hospital Association. O’Connor recently served as president of the Board of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation of Connecticut and Western Massachusetts.