Center Leadership

Gerald T. O'Connor, PhD, ScD is the Director of the Center for Education at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice. He is also the Associate Dean for Health Policy and Clinical Practice at Dartmouth Medical School.

Within the TDI graduate programs, Dr. O'Connor teaches Biostatistics and Epidemiology, and Introduction to Quantitative Methods.

Gerry is an epidemiologist who received his graduate training at Boston University School of Public Health and completed post-doctoral studies in cardiovascular epidemiology at the Channing Laboratory, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School. In 2006 he graduated from Harvard University's John Kennedy School of Government where he received a Master in Public Administration degree.

In 1987 he organized the Northern New England Cardiovascular Disease Study Group; a regional group of cardiac surgeons, cardiologists, scientists and administrators that collect and evaluate data on cardiovascular disease care at medical centers in Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. This regional group has had extraordinary success in improving cardiac surgery mortality rates through changes in the processes of clinical care.

Dr. O'Connor is also active in the improvement of care for people with cystic fibrosis in partnership with the national Cystic Fibrosis Foundation. To date, TDI and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation have convened six quality improvement collaboratives, reaching 60 care teams across the country. Over the five years of this work, predicted survival for people with cystic fibrosis has increased from 28.6 years to 36.9 years.

Gerry has been a member of the Dartmouth Medical School faculty since 1987. He is a Professor of Medicine and of Community and Family Medicine and the Chief of Clinical Research in the Department of Medicine. In 1997 he became the Director of Education Programs at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice and in 2004 was appointed Associate Dean of Dartmouth Medical School.

Karen A. Tombs, EdD is the Academic Programs Administrator for the Center for Education at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice (TDI.) Since 2002, she has overseen the operations of the education program, interacting daily with students and staff. She co-teaches the Core Skills Development Series for graduate students.

Karen was previously the Director for Education for the Carolinas Center for Hospice and End of Life Care and Program Coordinator for the Northeast Tennessee Area Health Education Center.

She has a Master of Education from the University of Tennessee in Chattanooga, and a Doctorate in Educational Leadership from the University of Phoenix School of Advanced Studies.