Rate My Professor Patrick O'Çonnor

Patrick O'Connor is a Professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Georgia's Mary Frances Early College of Education. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the University of Oregon in 1981, a Master of Science from Purdue University in 1985, and a Doctor of Philosophy with a major in Kinesiology and minor in Psychology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1989, specifically in Exercise Psychology. His academic career began as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise Science at Arizona State University from 1989 to 1992. He then joined the University of Georgia as an Assistant Professor in the Department of Exercise Science from 1992 to 1994, advanced to Associate Professor from 1994 to 2000, and has served as Professor in the Department of Kinesiology since 2001. O'Connor directs the Exercise Psychology Lab, a 2,500 square foot facility dedicated to studying the effects of physical activity on mood, emotional responses, stress, and cardiovascular health.

Dr. O’Connor’s primary research examines the relationships between acute and chronic physical activity and psychological outcomes such as anxiety, attention, mental energy and fatigue, pain, and sleep. A secondary focus explores the psychological consequences of novel nutraceuticals, alongside interests in sleep and circadian rhythms, cognition including executive function and sustained attention, and the psychological effects of nutrients. Notable publications include the co-authored textbook Exercise Psychology (Human Kinetics, 2013); meta-analyses such as The effect of chronic exercise on feelings of energy and fatigue: A quantitative synthesis (Psychological Bulletin, 2006), Effect of exercise training on depressive symptoms among patients with a chronic illness: A systematic review and meta-analysis (Archives of Internal Medicine, 2012), and Quantifying the placebo effect in psychological outcomes of exercise training: A meta-analysis (Sports Medicine, 2015); and articles like Physical activity is indirectly associated with pain in college women (Annals of Epidemiology, 2019) and Age moderates the association of aerobic exercise with initial learning (Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society, 2015). He received the University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Education Alumni Achievement Award in 2011 and the University of Georgia Student Government Association Outstanding Professor Award in 2015. O’Connor served as Associate Editor of Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise from 1992 to 2000, editorial board member for that journal until 2008 and for Mental Health and Physical Activity until 2020, Co-Chair of the American College of Sports Medicine’s Psychobiology & Health Interest Group from 1994 to 2003, Scientific Advisor for the International Life Sciences Institute from 2002 to 2010, and Consultant for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee from 2007 to 2008.