Dr. Cooper’s research program focuses on patient-centered strategies for improving outcomes and overcoming racial and ethnic disparities in healthcare. She has conducted several observational studies to explore and better define barriers (e.g., patient attitudes, beliefs, and preferences) to equitable care across racial and ethnic groups and mechanisms for disparities in health status and healthcare (e.g., patient-physician communication, race discordance between patients and physicians). Dr. Cooper is currently the principal investigator of two randomized trials [funded by the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)] of interventions to improve quality of care and outcomes for patients with hypertension and depression in primary care settings. She also has a Mid-Career Investigator Award for Patient-Oriented Research in Cardiovascular Health Disparities from the NHLBI.

Dr. Cooper’s research links patient and clinician attitudes and behaviors with health outcomes; her work continues to inform the training of physicians and the institutions in which they practice to deliver high quality, equitable care to increasingly diverse patient populations.

patient-centered care; patient attitudes; patient-physician communication; race; disparities; ethnic minorities, African Americans; depression; hypertension, primary care

Fellow, Picker/Commonwealth Scholars Program in Patient-Centered Care Research, The Commonwealth Fund (1995-1997)

Harold Amos Scholar, The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (1996-2000)

Member, American Society for Clinical Investigation (2005)

Herbert W. Nickens Award for exceptional commitment to cultural diversity in medicine and improving minority health, Society of General Internal Medicine (2006)

Fellow, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation (2007)

Member, Delta Omega Honorary Society in Public Health (2008)

Member, National Academy of Sciences Institute of Medicine (2008)

George Engel Research Award, American Academy of Communication in Healthcare (2008)

Fellow, American College of Physicians (2009)

Cooper LA. A 41-year-old African-American man with poorly controlled hypertension: review of patient and physician factors related to hypertension treatment adherence. JAMA 2009; 301 (12):1260-1273.

Cené CW, Roter D, Carson KA, Miller ER, Cooper LA. The Effect of Patient Race and Blood Pressure Control on Patient-Physician Communication. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2009; 24:1057–64.

Cooper LA, Roter DL, Bone LR, Larson SM, Miller ER, Barr MS, Carson KA, Levine DM. A Randomized Controlled Trial of Interventions to Enhance Patient-Physician Partnership, Patient Adherence and High Blood Pressure Control among Ethnic Minorities and Poor Persons: Study Protocol NCT00123045. Implementation Science; 2009 Feb 19;4(1):7.

Price EG, Powe NR, Kern DE, Golden SH, Wand G, Cooper LA. Improving Diversity Climate in Academic Medicine: Faculty Perceptions as a Catalyst for Institutional Change. Academic Medicine 2009;84:95-105.

Ghods BK, Roter DL, Ford DE, Larson S, Arbelaez JJ, Cooper LA. Patient-Physician Communication in the Primary Care Visits of African Americans and Whites with Depression. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2008;23:600-6.

Gozu A, Beach MC, Price EG, Gary TL, Robinson K, Palacio A, Smarth C, Jenckes M, Feuerstein C, Bass EB, Powe NR, Cooper LA. Self-Administered Instruments to Measure Cultural Competence of Health Professionals: A Systematic Review. Teaching and Learning in Medicine 2007;19:180-90.

Givens JL, Houston TK, Van Voorhees BW, Ford DE, Cooper LA. Ethnicity and Preferences for Depression Treatment. General Hospital Psychiatry 2007; 29:182-91.

Casagrande SS, Gary TL, LaVeist TL, Gaskin DJ, Cooper LA. Perceived Discrimination and Adherence to Medical Care in a Racially Integrated Community. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2007; 22:389-95.

Odom KL, Roberts LM, Johnson RL, Cooper LA. Exploring Obstacles to and Opportunities for Professional Success among Ethnic Minority Medical Students. Academic Medicine 2007; 82:146-153.

Beach MC, Rosner M, Cooper LA, Duggan PS, Shatzer J. Can Patient-Centered Attitudes Reduce Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Care? Academic Medicine 2007;82:193-198.

Beach MC, Roter DL, Wang N-Y, Duggan P, Cooper LA. Are physicians’ attitudes of respect accurately perceived by patients and associated with more positive communication behaviors? Patient Education and Counseling 2006; 62:347-54.

Beach MC, Gary TL, Price EG, Robinson K, Gozu A, Palacio A, Smarth C, Jenckes M, Feuerstein C, Bass EB, Powe NR, Cooper LA. Improving health care quality for racial/ethnic minorities: A systematic review of the best evidence regarding provider and organization interventions. BMC Public Health 2006 Apr 24;6(1):104.

Clever SL, Ford DE, Rubenstein LV, Rost KM, Meredith LS, Sherbourne CD, Wang N-Y, Arbelaez JJ, Cooper LA. Primary Care Patients’ Involvement in Decision Making Is Associated with Improvement in Depression. Medical Care 2006; 44:398-405.

Cooper LA, Beach MC, Johnson RL, Inui TS. Delving Below the Surface: Understanding How Race and Ethnicity Influence Relationships in Healthcare. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2006; 21:S21-27.

Davis EM, Clark JM, Gary TL, Carrese JA, Cooper LA. Racial and socioeconomic differences in the weight-loss experiences of obese women. American Journal of Public Health 2005;95:1539-1543.

Price EG, Gozu A, Kern DE, Powe NR, Wand GS, Golden SH, Cooper LA. The Role of Cultural Diversity Climate in Recruitment, Promotion and Retention of Faculty in Academic Medicine. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2005;20:565-571.

Beach MC, Price EG, Gary TL, Robinson KA, Gozu A, Smarth C, Palacio A, Jenckes MW, Feuerstein CJ, Bass EB, Powe NR, Cooper LA. Cultural competence: A systematic review of health care provider educational interventions. Medical Care 2005;43:356-373.

Johnson RL, Roter DL, Powe NR, Cooper LA. Patient race and the quality of patient-physician communication during medical visits. American Journal of Public Health 2004; 94:2084-2090.

Cooper LA and Powe NR. Disparities in Patient Experiences, Healthcare Processes, and Outcomes: The Role of Patient-Provider Racial, Ethnic, and Language Concordance. (July 2004) The Commonwealth Fund (Publication #753), New York, NY.

Cooper LA, Roter DL, Johnson RL, Ford DE, Steinwachs DM, Powe NR. Patient-centered communication, ratings of care, and concordance of patient and physician race. Annals of Internal Medicine 2003;139:907-915.

Cooper LA, Gonzales JJ, Gallo JJ, Rost KM, Meredith LS, Rubenstein LV, Wang N-Y, Ford DE. The acceptability of treatment for depression among African-American, Hispanic, and White primary care patients. Medical Care 2003;41:479-89

Boulware LE, Cooper LA, Ratner LE, LaVeist TA, Powe NR. Race and trust in the health care system. Public Health Reports 2003; 118:358-365

Cooper LA, Roter DL. Patient-Provider Communication: The Effect of Race and Ethnicity on Process and Outcomes of Healthcare. In: Unequal Treatment: Confronting Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health Care. (2002) Institute of Medicine, National Academy Press, Washington, DC, pp.552-593.

Cooper LA, Hill MN, Powe NR. Designing and evaluating interventions to eliminate racial and ethnic disparities in health care. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2002;17:477-486.

Cooper LA, Brown C, Ford DE, Vu HT, Powe NR. How Important is Intrinsic Spirituality in Depression Care? A Comparison of White and African-American Primary Care Patients. Journal of General Internal Medicine 2001;16:634-638.

Cooper LA, Brown C, Palenchar DR, Vu HT, Gonzales JJ, Ford DE, Powe NR. Primary Care Patients’ Opinions Regarding the Importance of Various Aspects of Care for Depression. General Hospital Psychiatry 2000 May-Jun;22(3):163-73.

Cooper-Patrick L, Gallo JJ, Gonzales JJ, Vu HT, Powe NR, Nelson C, Ford DE. Race, Gender, and Partnership in the Patient-Physician Relationship. JAMA 1999;282:583-589.

Cooper-Patrick L, Gallo JJ, Powe NR, Steinwachs DM, Eaton WW, Ford DE. Mental Health Service Utilization by African Americans and Whites: The Baltimore Epidemiologic Catchment Area Follow-up. Medical Care 1999; 37:1034-1045.

Cooper-Patrick L, Powe NR, Jenckes MW, Gonzales JJ, Levine DM, Ford DE. Identification of Patient Attitudes and Preferences Regarding Treatment of Depression. Journal of General Internal Medicine 1997; 12:431-438.

Cooper-Patrick L, Crum RM, Ford DE. Identifying Suicidal Ideation in General Medical Patients. JAMA 1994;272:1757-1762

Lisa A. Cooper, MD, MPH