Biography of Mary Ann Cooper MD
Mary Ann Cooper, MD, took her BS in Biochemistry from Michigan
State University in 1971 and continued at MSU for her medical
degree in 1975. Her residency training was in Emergency Medicine
(1978) at the University of Cincinnati, the first emergency
medicine program in the US. During her residency she developed
an interest in electrical injuries and progressed to lightning
injuries for which she is now considered one of the world's
experts in this narrow field.
She remains a practicing emergency physician and senior faculty
member at the University of Illinois Hospital. In addition
to seeing general emergency patients in the emergency department,
teaching medical students, residents, serving as a senior
faculty member on university and medical school committees,
she directs the Lightning Injury Research Program. Her research
interests span prevention to clinical interventions to development
of an animal model of lightning injury. In addition to Emergency
Medicine, her primary specialty, she also holds faculty appointments
in the Departments of Neurology and Bioengineering (though
not trained as a neurologist or engineer).
The Lightning Injury Research Program at the University of
Illinois conducts basic research into the cellular mechanisms
of lightning injury. It also attempts to foster public understanding
and recognition of the injury by participating in documentaries
and media interviews, to network inquirers and lightning victims
and their families, to work with individual physicians for
the benefit of their patients, to communicate with other lightning
researchers (meteorologists, physicists, engineers, etc.),
and to encourage injury prevention.
Among Dr. Cooper's awards, two stand out as her favorites:
- A Special Recognition Award from the Lightning Strike
and Electric Shock Survivors, International, support group
for 'wisdom, mercy, gentility, and humanity' in serving
on their board of directors, initiating an endowment fund
and gathering donations for it, publicizing the group and
providing support, advice, and guidance for the officers
and members of the organization.
- A "Special Award" from the American Meteorological Association
"for outstanding work on the medical effects of lightning
which has enhanced the treatment of lightning strike victims
and revolutionized lightning safety worldwide."
Dr. Cooper can be reached at:
Mary Ann Cooper,MD
Associate Professor, Departments of Emergency Medicine and
Bioengineering
University of Illinois at Chicago
M/C 724, 471 CME,
808 South Wood Street
Chicago, Illinois 60612-7354
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