Cmdr. Tara O'Connell
Officer in Charge, FLEET SURGICAL TEAM TWO
03 June 2025
A native of Brentwood, New York, Commander Tara O'Connell graduated with a Bachelor of Science in biology from Providence College in 2003. She was commissioned upon award of the Navy's Health Promotions Scholarship Program (HPSP) for medical school. She attend the New York College of Osteopathic Medicine in Old Westbury, New York, graduating with her medical degree in 2008. CDR O'Connell completed her residency in Family Medicine at Naval Hospital Jacksonville in 2011.
CDR O'Connell's Family Medicine utilization tour began as a Family Medicine staff physician at the CAPT James A. Lovell Federal Health Care Center (FHCC) in North Chicago, Illinois, in July 2011.
In February 2013, CDR O'Connell took over the role of Senior Medical Officer at the Recruit Training Command in Great Lakes, Illinois. Here she oversaw 40 providers while also being responsible for determining fitness for duty status of 45,000 Navy Recruit accessions yearly.
CDR O'Connell became the Senior Medical Officer on ESSEX (LHD-2) in July 2014. She completed a WESTPAC deployment on ESSEX in 2015 where she responsible for ship medical staffof94 Sailors (to include FST-1 and the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit medical personnel).
After her successful tour on the ESSEX, CDR O'Connell joined the hospital staff at U.S. Naval Hospital Rota in Rota, Spain from September 2016 until June 2019. There she served as both the department head of the Emergency Medicine Department and as the department head of Operational Forces Medical Liaison Services.
Following her tour in Spain, CDR O'Connell took one-year orders as a staff physician at Navy Medicine Readiness and Training Unit Bahrain. While in Bahrain, she completed JPME I via the U.S. Naval War College's College of Distance Leaming.
Next, CDR O'Connell had the distinguished honor of serving as assignment officer at Navy Personnel Command. From May 2020 until June 2022, CDR O'Connell oversaw the distribution of over 900 physicians in five undermanned subspecialties as the Family Medicine and Operational Medicine Detailer.
CDR O'Connell was subsequently hand-selected to be the Command Surgeon at the National Defense University. She most recently graduated from the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, earning a Master of Science in National Resource Strategy with a Health Strategies concentration.
CDR O'Connell is board-certified by the American Board of Family Medicine. Her personal decorations include two Meritorious Service Medals, one Joint Service Commendation Medal, two Navy and Marine Corps Commendation Medals, one Navy and Marine Corps Achievement Medal, and the Operation Inherent Resolve Campaign Medal in addition to other service and campaign awards.