Mary Eleanore O'Keefe, JD, PhD, MSNProfessor (Tenured)
UTMB School of Nursing and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences
Clinical Associate Professor, John Sealy School of Medicine
2019 Lifetime Achievement Award
Dr. O'Keefe is a lawyer (JD) who is also a registered nurse (RN) with a doctor of philosophy (PhD) in nursing and a licensed professional counselor (LPC). She has a certification as a Clinical Nurse Specialist in Psychiatric and Mental Health Nursing
(CNS Psych/Mental Health) and has extensive training in alternate dispute resolution, including mediation and arbitration. Dr. O’Keefe is a Professor in the UTMB School of Nursing, where she has been awarded the Constance Brewer Koomey Endowed
Professorship in Nursing and is recognized as an University of Texas Distinguished Teaching Professor. She is also a Professor in the UTMB Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, a Clinical Associate Professor in the UTMB School of Medicine, and a
Visiting Professor in the Shantou University Schools of Medicine and Nursing, Shantou, China. Dr. O’Keefe has published a series of textbooks known as Nursing Practice and the Law: Avoiding Malpractice and Other Legal Risks. She has a publication
titled Policy, Power, & Politics: Creating the Leadership Potential in Nursing Practice.
Dr. O'Keefe was inducted into the Academy of Master Teachers in 2012.