Annette O'Connor

Professor of Epidemiology Michigan State University

  • East Lansing MI

Annette O'Connor is an internationally recognized veterinarian and quantitative epidemiologist interested in the application of epidemiology

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Michigan State University

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Biography

Annette O’Connor is an internationally recognized veterinarian and quantitative epidemiologist who is particularly interested in the application of epidemiology to better inform policy related to food safety, one health, animal welfare, animal health, and veterinary clinical practice. Dr. O’Connor has been a leader in veterinary science in efforts to translate research into practice by reducing research wastage and maximizing the value of research. She has led initiatives that seek to improve the reporting of all research involving animals; these initiatives have required international collaborations and have had international impact on reporting in veterinary science.

Industry Expertise

Veterinary
Research

Areas of Expertise

One Health
Dairy
Epidemiology

Education

University of Sydney, Australia

BVSc

1993

University of Queensland

MVSc

Veterinary Science

1997

University of Guelph, 2000

DVSc

2000

Affiliations

  • American Association of Bovine Practitioners

News

MSU research to explore influenza outbreak in cattle

FarmProgress  online

2024-06-04

New research from Michigan State University will study the effects of a recent highly pathogenic avian influenza A virus outbreak on dairy cattle reproduction and milk production, as well as transmission of the disease and ways to mitigate it.

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Journal Articles

Hot topic: Epidemiological and clinical aspects of highly pathogenic avian influenza H5N1 in dairy cattle

JDS Communications

Zelmar Rodriguez, Catalina Picasso-Risso, Annette O'Connor, Pamela L. Ruegg

2024-10-01

On March 24, 2024, the US Department of Agriculture (USDA) confirmed the first case of highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 clade 2.3.4.4b in dairy cattle. Following this initial detection, the virus was found to have spread to other species, including humans. Since then, at least 192 dairy herds across 13 states have tested positive for the virus. The emergence of HPAI H5N1 in dairy cattle poses a serious threat to the dairy industry, requiring an approach that integrates human, animal, and environmental health.

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Exposure variables in veterinary epidemiology: are they telling us what we think they are?

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Audrey Ruple, Jan M Sargeant, Annette M. O’Connor, David G. Renter

2024-07-29

Epidemiologic research plays a crucial role in understanding the complex relationships between exposures and health outcomes. However, the accuracy of the conclusions drawn from these investigations relies upon the meticulous selection and measurement of exposure variables.

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What question are we trying to answer? Embracing causal inference

Frontiers in Veterinary Science

Audrey Ruple, Jan M Sargeant, Annette M. O’Connor, David G. Renter

2024-05-20

As epidemiologists, we are taught that “correlation does not imply causation.” While true, identifying causes is a key objective for much of the research that we conduct. There is empirical evidence that veterinary epidemiologists are conducting observational research with the intent to identify causes; many studies include control for confounding variables, and causal language is often used when interpreting study results.

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