Sean Michael O'Neill, MD

Sean M. O’Neill, MD, PhD is a faculty member in the Division of Minimally Invasive Surgery at Michigan Medicine. Born and raised in the Flint area, he received his undergraduate degree in Computer Science from Harvard College. He then obtained a Ph.D. in Policy Analysis from the Pardee RAND Graduate School and his M.D. from Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. He completed General Surgery residency at UCLA, followed by a fellowship in Advanced GI/MIS/Bariatric Surgery at Ohio State. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery.

Dr. O’Neill is a member of the American Society for Metabolic and Bariatric Surgery (ASMBS), where he serves on the Patient Education Committee. He is also a member of the Americas Hernia Society (AHS), the Society of American Gastrointestinal and Endoscopic Surgeons (SAGES), and the American College of Surgeons (ACS).

Clinical Specialization:

Dr. O’Neill’s clinical focus includes laparoscopic, robotic, and endoscopic approaches in addition to traditional open surgery. In addition to general surgery, his specialty practice includes operations for morbid obesity (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass, sleeve gastrectomy), groin and abdominal wall hernia, gastroesophageal reflux, hiatal and paraesophageal hernia, esophageal dysmotility, and gallbladder disease.

General surgery, laparoscopic and robotic minimally invasive surgery, bariatric/metabolic surgery, abdominal wall hernia, groin hernia, benign diseases of the foregut (including gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), hiatal and paraesophageal hernia, and achalasia), gallbladder disease, and diagnostic and therapeutic upper endoscopy (EGD).

University of Michigan Health participates with most health insurance plans.

Dr. O’Neill’s academic interests center around the delivery of health care services to improve population health, with a specific focus on organizational leadership and management. His Ph.D. dissertation at RAND focused on organizational drivers of success or failure in health care quality improvement interventions. He has studied the optimal delivery of surgical services in different settings, ranging from small, urban community hospitals to large regional integrated healthcare organizations. He has additionally published in the areas of medical education, hospice care, and continuous quality improvement.