Biography

About Me

Michael E. O'Leary, PhD, joined CMSRU in August of 2013 as Associate Professor of Biomedical Sciences. He is actively engaged in many facets of the school's educational, research and service missions. He teaches the physiology related sections of CMSRU's M1 Fundamentals course which includes classroom lectures and laboratory instruction. He also serves as co-director for M2 cardiovascular/pulmonary course and contributes lectures on renal, skeletal muscle and neuronal physiology. Dr. O'Leary is a facilitator for an Active Learning Group where he guides M1 students through the basic science and clinical curriculum.

He earned his Ph.D. in Physiology and Biophysics from University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, where he received the Distinguished Dissertation Award. After completing fellowships at the University of Maryland and University of Pennsylvania medical schools he joined the faculty at Thomas Jefferson University in the department of Pathology, Anatomy and Cell Biology where he worked for the past 20 years before joining CMSRU.

Dr. O'Leary's research focuses on the neurophysiology and molecular biology of sensory neurons, particularly those involved in the sensation of pain. The goal of these studies is to understand the role of injured sensory neurons in chronic and neuropathic pain. He has authored numerous articles on this topic and has been an invited lecturer at universities throughout the United States, Canada and Europe.