What to Know
- Not only is Dr. Lynn O’Connor the NYPD’S newest surgeon -- she is the first Black woman to hold this role.
- The NYPD surgeons clear officers for duty following an injury or illness. The doctors are also part of the team that responds to trauma calls.
- The largest police department in America has 35 surgeons and now 7 of them are women. Each physician on staff has an expertise: O’Connor’s colorectal cancer.
Not only is Dr. Lynn O’Connor the NYPD’S newest surgeon -- she is the first Black woman to hold this role.
"I always say you can’t be what you don't see, so even after 178 years they' ar're finally seeing it," O'Connor said.
It’s a milestone O'Connor's daughter, Danielle Harris, says is fitting.
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"When I heard the news I was excited, but also, just like it makes sense. Like you're a rock star," Harris said.
The NYPD surgeons clear officers for duty following an injury or illness. The doctors are also part of the team that responds to trauma calls. To date, the largest police department in America has 35 surgeons and now seven of them are women. Each physician on staff has an expertise: O’Connor’s is colorectal cancer.
"Unfortunately, colorectal cancer is the third most common cause of cancer death and it's the third most common diagnosed cancer in the US," O'Connor said.
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O’Connor grew up in Manhattan and went on to earn her medical degree from Temple University and a master’s in Public Health at Yale University. Her residency and fellowship took her to Maryland. After that, she returned to New York to run her private practice.
Now, she sees patients on Long Island at her private practice, serves as the chief of colon and rectal surgery at two New York-area hospitals, and starting Monday, will also work for the NYPD.
"I worked out a schedule where I'm gonna give my time to the NYPD and I'll have time for my patients," O'Connor said of managing all of her duties at her private practice as well as her new responsibilities with the NYPD.
Her loved ones, who packed into police headquarters Monday to witness her swearing-in ceremony, told us they have no doubt she will succeed in this history-making role.
O'Connor comes from a long list of public servants -- including her cousin, Assemblywoman Inez Dickens (D-NY).
"She worked hard to get where she is," Dickens said. "It was not easy."
O'Connor's hard work and dedication paid off -- becoming the first Black woman to hold the distinguished position.
“It's a tremendous honor," O'Connor said.
