Edward S. Cooper, MD Emeritus Professor of Medicine
BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH
Edward S. Cooper, MD Emeritus Professor of Medicine
University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine
Past President, American Heart Association
Edward Sawyer Cooper, MD, was born in Columbia, S.C., 12-11-26, to late Ada Sawyer Cooper and H. Howard Cooper, Sr., DDS. He earned an A.B. from Lincoln University in Pennsylvania and MD from Meharry Medical College,
with highest honors.
Following his training he joined the physician staff of PGH and was appointed to the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (UPSM) in 1958. He subsequently served as president of the PGH medical staff as well as chief of the UPSM medical service at the hospital. He was co-founder and co-director of the Stroke Research Center at PGH and in 1972 he became the first tenured African-American physician/professor at the UPSM, the nations oldest medical school. In addition, from 1956 to 1996, Dr. Cooper maintained a private practice in the field of internal medicine and stroke prevention, at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania. He retired and Emeritus Professor status was conferred on January 1, 1996.
In June 1992 Dr. Cooper became the first African-American president of the American Heart Association (AHA), an organization he had served for over 30 years. He chaired the Stroke Council Association as well as the writing committee that produced the AHA's scientific statement: Cardiovascular Disease and Stroke in African-American and Other Racial Minorities.
He has published widely; served on the editorial boards of several medical journals; and lectured as a visiting professor and invited speaker on numerous occasions both in this country and abroad. He is co-editor of the book, Stroke in Blacks, which was released in 1999. He has served extensively on national and local committees and commissions dealing with issues of stroke and cardiovascular prevention.
Dr. Cooper's many awards include the American Heart Association Gold Heart Award, the AHA's highest national award; the Charles Drew Award for Distinguished Contribution to Minority Education; the Distinguished Alumnus Award from the National Association for Equal Opportunity in Education; and the College of Physicians of Philadelphia, Edna Kynett Memorial Award in 2003. The American Heart Association Edward S. Cooper Award is given at a special dinner each year at its annual meeting and an annual visiting lectureship is sponsored by the Department of Medicine in his honor. A professorship has been commissioned in his name by UPSM.
Clerkship
The Edward S. Cooper Visiting Clerkship, sponsored by the Department of Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, provides support for talented underrepresented minority fourth year medical students to participate in a four week elective rotation at a Penn-affiliated hospital. The program is designed to increase medical student awareness of opportunities in academic medicine and increase the number of minority students applying to the Penn Internal Medicine residency programs.
Program Description
The visiting clerkship program is designed to give students a chance to experience the exceptional training that Penn Internal Medicine has to offer. Visiting students will spend four weeks on an inpatient internal medicine consultative services (cardiology, endocrinology, gastroenterology, geriatrics, hematology/oncology, infectious diseases, nephrology, pulmonary, or rheumatology) or an outpatient General Internal Medicine practice. In addition to the daily activities of the rotation, students will have the opportunity to attend Grand Rounds and other teaching conferences.
Accepted applicants will receive up to $1500 reimbursement for housing, travel expenses and registrar acceptance fee.
Opportunities will be provided for visiting students to interact with underrepresented minority faculty and housestaff as well as discuss their career plans with the Internal Medicine residency program director. Each student will be paired with a faculty member that will serve as a mentor and advisor.
Program Requirements
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An interest in a career in Internal Medicine
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Completion of all core clinical clerkships prior to start of the Cooper Clerkship
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Completed application including current CV, personal statement discussing career goals, one letter of recommendation (preferably from an internal medicine attending), official medical school transcript and USMLE I scores.
The application deadline is May 8, 2020 and accepted applicants will be notified by early June. Applicants not selected for the Cooper Clerkship will, if interested, be entered into the general pool of applicants for visiting rotations at Penn Medicine.
Contact Information
Claiborne B. Childs, MD, MS
Director of Diversity & Inclusion Initiatives, Internal Medicine Residency
Email: Claiborne.Childs@pennmedicine.upenn.edu