Philadelphia, PA
Mary Reich Cooper MD JD has been Associate Professor of Population Health and Program Director for Healthcare Quality and Safety and Operational Excellence at the Thomas Jefferson University College of Population Health since January 2016. She also designed and inaugurated the Quality Improvement and Patient Safety Leadership (QIPS) program and the implementation of the Health System Science curriculum for the Sidney Kimmel Medical College in the JeffMD curriculum. She is on the Board of the American College of Medical Quality, the QTIP Editor for the American Journal of Medical Quality, and a national speaker on patient safety, healthcare quality, leadership, and social determinants of health. Much of Dr. Cooper’s career has been leading healthcare quality and patient safety for academic medical centers and affiliated organizations. Dr. Cooper was the Chief Quality Officer and Senior Vice President, Clinical Services for the Connecticut Hospital Association from 2012 to 2021. At CHA, she was responsible for overseeing the implementation of High Reliability Science throughout the hospitals in Connecticut, creating value for the hospitals with their quality and safety strategy, and working closely with the state government and quality organizations. Dr. Cooper also oversaw CHA’s work in Population Health, including Social Determinants of Health and the Connecticut Perinatal Quality Collaborative. Prior to Connecticut Dr. Cooper was in Rhode Island for five years, where she was Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for Lifespan Corporation, a four-hospital health system based in Providence. She was an Assistant Professor in Medicine (Research) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and a Member on the Rhode Island State Board of Medical Licensure and Discipline for five years. She went to Lifespan in July 2007, after twelve years at New York-Presbyterian Hospital, where she served as the Chief Quality Officer. Dr. Cooper received her undergraduate degree cum laude from Duke University, her medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine, where she was elected to AOA, and her degree in health law from Pace University School of Law. She has numerous publications and grants, and her interests are large-scale change and health policy.
