By Queen Muse
The name Edward S. Cooper adorns a bustling internal medicine practice at Penn Medicine in University City. The patients who come for a variety of routine medical care every day might not know the story behind the centers namesake, but they should. Edward S. Cooper, MD, is an accomplished Black physician and living legend whose illustrious career was marked by numerous groundbreaking achievements in cardiology and health equity. Now an emeritus professor, Cooper served over 40 years as a faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania and 25 years as a committed trustee at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. Recently, at the age of 97, Cooper announced plans to step down from that role. His impact and his story continue to resonate with his former colleagues and new generations of physicians and physicians-to-be at Penn and across the medical field.
Born in Columbia, South Carolina, on December 11, 1926, Cooper's medical journey began with a profound sense of purpose instilled by his parents, Ada Sawyer Cooper and Henry Howard Cooper, Sr., DDS. His father and two brothers were all dentists, and Cooper aimed to follow in their footsteps, albeit on a slightly different path. After earning an AB from Lincoln University and an MD from Meharry Medical College, where he graduated with the highest honors, Cooper embarked on a career as a cardiologist.
As the only Black intern in his class at Philadelphia General Hospital, then the city of Philadelphias public hospital, Cooper witnessed numerous severe stroke cases, many of which were among Black patients. This inspired him to want to make an impact in the area of heart disease and stroke. Midway through his internship, though, Cooper had a harrowing battle with pneumonia that, at one point, he thought he might not survive.
I almost died, Cooper recalled in an interview with NBC. I said, Good lord if you get me through this, I promise you Ill do something about this stroke problem or at least make people aware of it and try to prevent it.
Cooper made good on his promise. He went on to co-found and co-direct the Stroke Research Center at Philadelphia General Hospital. In 1958, Cooper joined the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine and began providing internal medicine services and educating patients on stroke prevention through his private practice at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.
Over the next four decades, Cooper made seminal discoveries examining how racial differences affect stroke in Black individuals and other understudied populations in medicine. His work uncovered similar risk factors in stroke and coronary disease, such as high blood pressure and high lipid levels, bringing new attention to these common causes.
Emphasizing the significance of these contributions, Kenneth Margulies, MD, a professor of Cardiovascular Medicine in the Perelman School of Medicine, said Coopers efforts to identify racial disparities in preventive factors for these diseases helped to mobilize both public health and individual provider responses to these challenges. And they inspired Margulies to make similar contributions to the field in his own career.
Cooper made history in 1972 when he became the first Black tenured faculty member at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine. It would not be the last of his landmark moments. In June 1992, after serving the American Heart Association for over 30 years, Cooper became its first Black president. He went on to serve as chair of the AHAs Stroke Council and of the committee that produced the AHA's influential scientific statement: Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in African-American and Other Racial Minorities.
Cooper later published a book, Stroke in Blacks, with co-author P.B. Gorelick, which is regarded as one of the first comprehensive texts on the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of stroke in Black patients. Today, Scott E. Kasner, MD, the director of Penns Comprehensive Stroke Center, keeps a signed copy of Coopers book on his desk. He says the book and Cooper inspire his work daily.
He dedicated his career to studying the critical issues related to epidemiology, risk factors, and management of stroke in African-Americans, with a particular focus on disparities in the diagnosis and treatment of hypertension, said Kasner. I am currently leading an effort to improve the diversity of enrollment in stroke clinical trials. So even though Ed and I didnt collaborate directly, there is no doubt that his lifes work heavily influenced mine.
Throughout his career, Cooper became a trusted physician and friend to Civil Rights icons, including Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the late performer and activist Harry Belafonte, fascinating details that his humility will allow him to share if asked. He has also used his influence to help his students, mentees, and fellow physicians reach their full potential for impact.
I am just in awe of his career accomplishments, said Gerald DeVaughn, MD, clinical assistant professor of Cardiovascular Medicine at Penn Medicine who cares for patients at HUP-Cedar. On each occasion, he amazes me with his wisdom that is so humbly submitted. While noting that he did not have the opportunity to work directly with Cooper in the clinic, DeVaughn said, There have been career opportunities that have mysteriously opened up for me. He doesn't know that I know that he was the clandestine operative behind the curtain. I am not alone. He has been an advocate for the careers of many African-American physicians in the Delaware Valley and nationally. Many are grateful for his mentorship.
Coopers many titles and responsibilities sometimes made it difficult for him to spend as much time as he would have liked with his wife, Jean Marie Wilder, who was also a physician, and their four children. Coopers daughter, Lisa Cooper Hudgins, MD, however, says she understood her fathers work was important in more ways than one.
He was a great dad but a busy dad, so every moment on vacation was precious, said Hudgins, who also attended medical school at the University of Pennsylvania. As a Black man in medicine, he knew he had to prove himself. He was 100 percent devoted to his focus on stroke and hypertension. He truly felt this was his mission.
The American Heart Association in Philadelphia, recognizing Coopers impact on the field, bestows its highest honor in his name each year. Margulies was the recipient in 2022, followed by another Penn Medicine cardiologist, Paul J. Mather, in 2023.
Mather noted the impact and honor of Coopers influence. The more you learn about this man, the more incredible you know he is. He's a national figure and hero to many, Mather said. The thing that strikes me the most is his elegance and kindness. You sit next to him, and you feel the power of his intellect and drive, but it's enveloped in kindness and gentle elegance that makes you just sit in awe of him.
Having witnessed and contributed to several decades of transformation in medicine, Cooper says the most important tool to ensuring his work toward health equity continues in the future is medical school recruitment. He noted what an AAMC report, Altering the Course: Black Males in Medicine, uncovered: that more Black men were applying and matriculating to medical schools in 1978 than in 2014. Since then, increases in Black male enrollment in medical school has been minimal. In 2021, Black men accounted for only five percent of all physicians in the U.S.
Weve been working on it for years, and in some ways, it still hasnt changed, Cooper said. Its to everybodys advantage to get students interested in science early, start recruiting them as early as tenth grade, and create opportunities for more Black men to be in medicine.
Today, Penn Medicine has invested in programs including a partnership with the College of Physicians of Philadelphia to support more young Black men entering medical school, and a pipeline program to help expose college students to medical school and provide a pathway to admission was expanded in 2022 to include several historically Black colleges and universities (HBCUs).
Coopers advice to those doctors in the making who are soon to carry the torch: Work hard, study hard, and strive for excellence.
See the original post:
A Living Legend of Health Equity in Stroke and Heart Disease - Penn Medicine
- Applications of Nanotechnology in the Field of Cardiology - Cureus - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Tri-City Cardiology's Ambulatory Surgical Center (ASC) Leads the Way in Revolutionizing Heart Failure Management - PR Newswire - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Watchdog group calls out risks associated with private equity in cardiology, other specialties - Cardiovascular Business - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Heart health: Cardiologist shares impact of advanced wearable technology on patient monitoring - News9 LIVE - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Apr 12 2024 This Week in Cardiology - Medscape - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- TAVR Found Non-Inferior to SAVR for Low-Risk Patients - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Telemedicine Strategy After MI Scores a Win in TELE-ACS - TCTMD - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Global Interventional Cardiology Devices Market Projected to Reach $21.9 Billion by 2030 - GlobeNewswire - April 15th, 2024 [April 15th, 2024]
- Impact of Interatrial Shunt May Vary by Heart Failure Type - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- SGLT-2 Inhibitors Show Mixed Results After Heart Attack - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- No Reduction in 90-Day Deaths, Heart Attacks With Human Apo/A1, A Building Block of HDL Cholesterol - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Association of Black Cardiologists' "We Are The Faces" Campaign Unveils New Videos for Black Maternal Health Week - PR Newswire - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- UNC Hospitals Performs First Transcatheter Tricuspid Valve Replacement in North Carolina | Newsroom - UNC Health and UNC School of Medicine - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Cardiawave is Presenting the 30-day Follow-up Results from its Valvosoft Pivotal Study on the Teatment of Severe ... - Diagnostic and Interventional... - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Real-world Evidence at the American College of Cardiology Scientific Session ACC.24 to Demonstrate Positive Impact ... - Diagnostic and Interventional... - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- American College of Cardiology Sets Full Range of Education Sessions and Meetings ACC Scientific Session, ACC.24 - Diagnostic and Interventional... - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- ACC.24: Smidt Heart Institute Experts to Share Research Findings, Clinical Knowledge - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Cardiovascular Research Foundation, CRF, Introduces New York Valves: The Structural Heart Summit - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Medicare drops AUC requirement for advanced imaging, ASNC celebrates - Cardiovascular Business - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Yale Faculty Present Groundbreaking Clinical Research at the 2024 American College of Cardiology Scientific Sessions - Yale School of Medicine - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Getting Too Little Sleep Linked to High Blood Pressure - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- What's Going to Be Hot at ACC 2024 - TCTMD - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- E-cigarette use linked to increased risk of heart failure, large study finds - News-Medical.Net - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Osso VR and ACC to Develop Cardiac Procedure Training with VR - HIT Consultant - April 7th, 2024 [April 7th, 2024]
- Kapil Yadav, M.D., Joins UAMS to Lead Nuclear Cardiology and Vascular Medicine Program - UAMS News - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Doctors form new coalition focused on reducing private equity's role in cardiology, other healthcare specialties - Cardiovascular Business - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center cardiologist to be honored by American Heart Association - American Heart Association - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- March 19 Doctors on Call Will Focus on Cardiology - KRSL - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Cardiologist shares his long journey from Libya to United States - Cardiovascular Business - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Cardiologists share historic research that led to FDA's long-awaited approval of coronary DCB - Cardiovascular Business - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Most physicians think private equity is bad for healthcare - Cardiovascular Business - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Meth-Related Cardiomyopathy: Where the Biggest Clusters Are - Medpage Today - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Gilbert H. L. Tang Appointed Editor-in-Chief of JACC: Case Reports - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- SS Innovations' SSi Mantra Surgical Robotic System used to perform Mitral Valve Replacement - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- Intravascular imaging during PCI in heart disease patients improves survival, reduces adverse outcomes - News-Medical.Net - March 19th, 2024 [March 19th, 2024]
- PA Martine Altieri Brings an Obesity Medicine Clinic to Her Cardiology Patients - AAPA - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- WEGOVY APPROVED FOR HEART RISK: U-Mich cardiology, obesity medicine experts available for interview - Newswise - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- AHA Sums Up AI's Potential in Cardiology, but Also the Hurdles Ahead - TCTMD - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Houston cardiology-focused tech platform exits to private equity, plans to scale - InnovationMap - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- The Daylight Saving Time Health Effects You Might Not Be Expecting, According to a Cardiology Specialist (Exclusive) - PEOPLE - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- How a big CMS update on carotid stenting could impact interventional cardiology - Cardiovascular Business - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Global Cardiology Medical Imaging Informatics Market - Cloud-powered Telecardiology to Improve Access to Healthcare - PR Newswire - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Valley Health cardiologist talks regional heart health | Nvdaily | nvdaily.com - Northern Virginia Daily - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- With the correct research, AI in pediatric cardiology has great potential - Contemporary Pediatrics - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Top in cardiology: Cannabis use, heat exposure associated with higher stroke risk - Healio - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Researcher promotes subsidies to bring cardiac care closer to home in rural areas - Montana Right Now - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Cardiologist aims to improve care, reduce costly air transport - The Taos News - March 11th, 2024 [March 11th, 2024]
- Long-term Survivors of Childhood Cancer at Higher Risk of Death Following Heart Issues; Threshold for Treating Risk ... - Diagnostic and... - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Even Modest Lp(a) Elevations Bode Poorly for Cardiovascular Health - Medpage Today - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Bojangles surprises CMC cardiology team with heart-shaped biscuits for Heart Month - wpde.com - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Health Beat: Local cardiologists raise awareness about heart disease prevention - Iredell Free News - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Miami Valves 2024 Showcases Innovations in Structural Heart and Cardiovascular Care - InventUM - University of Miami - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Cardiology Specialists Keep a Pulse on Adults Born with Heart Defects - Checkup Newsroom - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Cardiologist at heart of TAVR controversy loses hospital privileges due to 'disruptive,' 'inexplicable' behavior - Cardiovascular Business - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Integration of pharmacist-led pharmacogenomics testing in cardiology clinical practice - Healio - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Foiled Theft of Medicines at Punjab Institute of Cardiology Highlights Organized Crime Concerns - BNN Breaking - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Feb 23 2024 This Week in Cardiology - Medscape - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Hospital doesnt miss a beat when it comes to cardiac care - Martha's Vineyard Times - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Cardiologist on the beat for healthy hearts | News, Sports, Jobs - Marietta Times - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- One of few females in her field, Dr. Sheth focuses on educating women about heart health - Chicago Tribune - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- URMC Hosts 'Heartbeat of Upson' Celebration | Lifestyle | upsonbeacon.com - upsonbeacon.com - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- WVU, Valley Health offer pediatric cardiology in Tri-State | Special Sections | loganbanner.com - The Logan Banner - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- First patient treated using A-Flux Reducer interventional system for angina - Cardiac Rhythm News - February 29th, 2024 [February 29th, 2024]
- Happy Holidays from the Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology Team - Diagnostic and Interventional Cardiology - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- 7 New Year's Resolutions for Heart Health From Cardiologists - Livestrong - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Pulse Biosciences Announces First-in-Human Procedures with its Novel CellFX Nanosecond Pulsed Field Ablation ... - Diagnostic and Interventional... - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Smidt Heart Institute at Cedars-Sinai opens Aortic Surveillance Clinic for patients with enlarged aortas - News-Medical.Net - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Creatinine and Cystatin C-based GFR Estimation in HF Mortality - Physician's Weekly - December 31st, 2023 [December 31st, 2023]
- Holidays linked to surge in heart attacks, warns cardiology chief ahead of Christmas - WTOV Steubenville - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- 5 trends in cardiology to watch - Harvard Health - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Top Policy and Practice News for Cardiologists in 2023 - TCTMD - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Colchicine Not the Answer for Recurring Arrhythmias After Ablation - Medpage Today - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Chamber Cardio Launches Innovative Value-Based Cardiology Care Platform with Early Success - PR Newswire - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Drinking in moderation can help avoid 'holiday heart syndrome' - UT Southwestern - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Top Cardiology Trials and Studies of 2023: Insights and Breakthroughs - Medriva - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Overview of Major Cardiology Trials in 2023 - Medriva - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- New drugs, updated treatment strategies: 5 important trends in cardiology from an eventful 2023 - Cardiovascular Business - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- The Top Cardiology Trials of 2023 - Medscape - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Cardiologists' Holiday Wish: Medicare Pay Cuts Roasting on an Open Fire - TCTMD - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]
- Dec 15 2023 This Week in Cardiology - Medscape - December 22nd, 2023 [December 22nd, 2023]