معرفی
Mary-Frances O'Connor is a Clinical Professor in the Department of Clinical Psychology at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the neurobiological, physiological, and psychological mechanisms underlying grief and loss, with a particular emphasis on prolonged grief and health disparities in bereavement.
- B.A. in Psychology from Northwestern University
- Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Arizona
- Clinical internship at the University of California, Los Angeles
- Post-doctoral fellowship at the UCLA Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology
Her research integrates psychoneuroimmunology, neuroimaging, autonomic physiology, and virtual reality to explore individual responses to grief, particularly in the American Black/Latinx communities. She has pioneered studies on the interplay between oxytocin, neural activity, and grief symptoms.
Recent publications highlight trends in prolonged grief, collective grief, and the physiological impacts of bereavement, including inflammation and cardiovascular stress. She also investigates adaptive emotion regulation strategies like mindfulness and social support.
O'Connor teaches courses such as PSY 456 - Psychology of Death and Loss and PSYC 582 - Advanced Psychopathology, and is a TEDxUArizona speaker. She leads the Neurobiology of Grief International Network (NOGIN) and authored The Grieving Brain and The Grieving Body.
