Dr. Cooper leads one of the first senior leadership positions in the country dedicated specifically to professionalism and clinical excellence within a health system, overseeing initiatives that promote high standards of performance among faculty, clinical staff, trainees and students across Vanderbilt University Medical Center’s education, research and clinical areas. He has been involved with the Vanderbilt “Professionalism Assessment and Reporting System” program since 2009, and serves as chair of Vanderbilt’s professionalism committee. As an internationally recognized expert in medication safety in children, Dr. Cooper has published more than 100 scholarly articles. He is the lead author of a 2017 study published in JAMA Surgery that demonstrates the relationship between unsolicited patient complaints and increased risk for postoperative complications, findings with significant implications for quality and safety improvement. Earlier in his career he led the Center for Patient and Professional Advocacy and the Master of Public Health program at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine.
