Sean Michael O'Neill, MD, PhD, FACS, FASMBS

Sean M. O’Neill, MD, PhD is a faculty member in the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Michigan Medicine. Born and raised in the Flint area, he received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Harvard College. He then obtained a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School and his M.D. from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He completed General Surgery residency at UCLA, followed by a fellowship in Advanced GI/MIS/Bariatric Surgery at Ohio State. Dr. O’Neill is a member of the the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), where he serves on the Artificial Intelligence Committee and Video-Based Assessment Task Force. He is also a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), the American Hernia Society (AHS), and the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

Dr. O’Neill’s clinical focus includes laparoscopic, robotic, and endoscopic approaches in addition to traditional open surgery. In addition to general surgery, his specialty practice includes operations for morbid obesity (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy), abdominal wall reconstruction, groin hernia, gastroesophageal reflux, hiatal and paraesophageal hernia, esophageal dysmotility, and gallbladder disease. He serves multiple roles in leadership at Chelsea Hospital, including as Chief of Staff, Chair of the Medical Executive Committee, Surgeon Champion for the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC), Chair of the Surgical Quality Roundtable, and Site Director for both the General Surgery Residency and the Medical Student Clerkship.

Dr. O’Neill’s academic interests center around the delivery of health care services, with a specific focus on organizational leadership and management. His Ph.D. dissertation at RAND focused on organizational drivers of success or failure in health care quality improvement interventions. He has studied the optimal delivery of surgical services in different settings, ranging from small, urban community hospitals to large regional integrated healthcare organizations. He has additionally published in the areas of medical education, hospice care, and continuous quality improvement. Current projects include examining organizational mechanisms of change within participating institutions of the Michigan Surgical Quality Collaborative (MSQC).