Dr. Cooper serves as Vice President, Medical Affairs, Corporate Health & Safety for 3M Health Care. He has previously served as Chief Medical Officer Medical Solutions & Global Director of Safety for 3M Health Care, and Medical Information Director at 3M’s Health Information Systems. He is a Diplomat of the American Boards of Thoracic Surgery and Surgery, and a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS), the Aerospace Medical Association (FAsMA), and the Civil Aviation Medical Association (FCAMA). He is a graduate of Franklin & Marshall College (BA, Mathematics & Biology), New York University School of Medicine (MD), and Watson Graduate School of Management, Spears School of Business, Oklahoma State University (MBA). In addition to Residencies and Chief Residencies in General Surgery (New York University Medical Center, The University of Iowa Hospitals & Clinics) and Thoracic Surgery (Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center), he also completed a Medical Staff Fellowship in the Surgery Branch of the National Heart, Lung & Blood Institute of the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and a Fellowship in Pediatric Cardiothoracic Surgery and Transplantation at The Hospital for Sick Children, Great Ormond Street, UK. He has also studied Health Policy at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, and Comprehensive Medical Simulation, both at Harvard University.

Dr. Cooper’s research has included pioneering methods of immunosuppression for primate cardiac xenograft transplantation. In addition to his 3M responsibilities, he serves in multiple capacities at the University of Minnesota as a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of the Institute for Engineering in Medicine, various roles with the Design for Medical Device and innovation programs, and also serves on the Board of the Fetal Therapy Foundation & Think Tank.

Dr. Cooper is a Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, expert in Aviation Physiology, and a Special Consultant to the Federal Air Surgeon. He is a commercial pilot, flight instructor, and aerobatic and formation air show performer, and has flown a variety of single and multi-engine, general and military aircraft. He has been a leader in the application of aviation-based safety culture to health care.