About Mary-Frances

Mary-Frances O'Connor is a Professor of Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry at the University of Arizona. Her research focuses on the physiological correlates of emotion, in particular the wide range of physical and emotional responses during bereavement, including yearning and isolation. She believes that a clinical science approach toward the experience and mechanisms of grieving can improve interventions for prolonged grief disorder, newly included in the revised DSM-5.

Education

Ph.D., Clinical Psychology
University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ
1998 – 2004

Bachelor of Arts, Psychology
Northwestern University, Evanston, IL
1992 – 1996

Professional Appointments

Professor of Psychology
University of Arizona, Department of Psychology
2024 – present

Director of Clinical Training
University of Arizona, Department of Psychology
2019 – present

Associate Professor of Psychology
University of Arizona, Department of Psychology
2017 – 2024

Assistant Professor of Psychology
University of Arizona, Department of Psychology
2012 – 2017

Assistant Professor in Residence
UCLA, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Science
2007 – 2012 

Postdoctoral Fellow
UCLA, Cousins Center for Psychoneuroimmunology
2004 – 2007

Intern, Health Track
UCLA, Neuropsychiatric Institute and Hospital
2003 – 2004