Maureen Theresa O’Dea is a first generation Irish American who was born in New York City and grew up in Queens. She graduated magna cum laude with a degree in English and pre-med studies from St. John’s University. After receiving her medical degree from Georgetown University School of Medicine, she completed an internship in Internal Medicine and Ophthalmology residency at Washington Hospital Center in Washington, D.C. Dr. O’Dea is a member of the American Academy of Ophthalmology and the American Society of Cataract and Refractive Surgery. She is an active member of the medical community and maintains her Ophthalmology practice in Woodbridge, Virginia.

Her interests include writing, animal rescue, and traveling. She has publication in the Journal of Medical Association, The Beltway Poetry Quarterly, The UCLA Collection of Poetry by Physicians, and The Nearest Poem.