Dr. Cooper is Distinguished Professor and FISA/PVA Chair of the department of rehabilitation science and technology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS). He is also professor in the departments of physical medicine and rehabilitation, orthopaedic surgery, bioengineering and mechanical engineering at the University of Pittsburgh.
Also the founder and director of the Human Engineering Research Laboratories, a joint venture between University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the University of Pittsburgh and the VA Pittsburgh Health Care System, Dr. Cooper has received numerous awards in recognition of his contributions to the field of rehabilitation research, including the Distinguished Service Award from the Rehabilitation Engineering and Assistive Technology Society of North America and selection to the National Spinal Cord Injury Association’s “Hall of Fame.” Dr. Cooper was elected Fellow of the Institute for Electrical and Electronics Engineers and the American Institute of Medical and Biological Engineering for his work with wheelchairs and rehabilitation engineering, and he is the author or co-author of more than 200 papers, expanded abstracts and book chapters, and the author of two books.
Dr. Cooper is also an avid wheelchair athlete and a past world and national record holder at a variety of distances in wheelchair racing. He won a bronze medal when he represented the United States in the 4x400m relay at the Paralympic Games in Seoul, South Korea in 1988.
A native of San Luis Obispo, Calif., Dr. Cooper earned both his undergraduate and master degrees in electrical engineering from California Polytechnic State University in 1985 and 1986, respectively. He received his doctorate degree in electrical and computer engineering with a concentration in bioengineering from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1989.