Cynthia (Cyndi) Allen was born in Ponca City to T.J. and Peggy Allen. She has one brother, Thomas. She spent most of her growing up years in Tonkawa with the exception of a few years in southern Oklahoma. While at THS, Cyndi served as Buccaneer Yearbook Editor, Student Council Secretary, and twirler for the THS Band. She earned membership in the National and Oklahoma Honor Societies, and received recognition as Valedictorian, Who’s Who Among American High School Students, and THS “Most Likely to Succeed.” Cyndi also received the Oklahoma State University Leadership award and was able to participate in the College of Foreign Studies through the University of Madrid, Spain.After graduating from Tonkawa High School in 1973, Dr. O’Connor received her Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Oklahoma. She went on to earn her Master’s degree in Nursing and her Doctor’s degree in Nursing Research from the University of Texas at Austin. She served as senior military Nurse Researcher at the Army Futures Command, Medical Capabilities Development Directorate at Joint Base San Antonio, Fort Sam Houston Texas for 18 years. Dr. O’Connor is a military outcomes trauma nurse analyst with operating room expertise in all surgery specialties such as neurosurgery, joint replacement, emergency Cesarean-section, vehicle crashes, thoracic surgery, multiple gunshot wounds, blunt, burn, and blast (explosion) injury trauma.Her analyses of Department of Defense medical data in legacy systems measured military medical planning factors to save life and salvage limbs. She forecasted quantities of whole blood, oxygen, surgery sets, and equipment, and number of neurosurgeons, orthopedists, thoracic surgeons, spinal, general surgeons and ocular trauma surgeons required to deliver far forward damage control surgery.She retired from the Army Nurse Corps at the rank of Colonel after 27 years of active duty. She developed operating room trauma expertise in military medical treatment facilities in the United States and abroad witnessing the first breath of life and last “breath till rest” as a military medical team member conserving strength of our nation’s service members, family members, and American citizens at home and abroad.Dr. O’Connor’s research on causes of ventilator acquired pneumonia in intensive care patients at three military medical centers halved the incidence of critical care pneumonia and it continued to decrease as evidenced based practices of the study were adopted. She conducted a multi-million-dollar study of the Army Combat Medic training program transforming curriculum, methods, and skill performance standards ...
