Patrick M O'Neil

Patrick M. O’Neil is a Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at the Medical University of South Carolina (MUSC) and Director of the Weight Management Center. He holds a B.S. in Economics from Louisiana State University and M.S./Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology from the University of Georgia.

His expertise spans obesity research, clinical trials, and multidisciplinary weight-management interventions. He has led numerous NIH-funded studies on obesity treatments and authored over 100 publications. Professionally, he has served on editorial boards of journals like Obesity and International Journal of Obesity, and held leadership roles in The Obesity Society. Locally, he served as Mayor of Sullivan’s Island (2015–present) and previously on Town Council and Planning Commission.

Teaching activities include mentoring psychology interns, medical students, and delivering CME lectures. He is a former member of the South Carolina Board of Examiners in Psychology and led the South Carolina Nutrition Research Consortium’s Scientific Council.