Mary Reich Cooper, M.D., J.D.
Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer
Lifespan Corporation
Providence, Rhode Island
Mary Reich Cooper, M.D., J.D., is Senior Vice President and Chief Quality Officer for Lifespan Corporation, a four-hospital health system based in Providence, Rhode Island, and is an Assistant Professor in Medicine (Research) at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University. In her current position, Dr. Cooper is responsible for articulating the quality and safety strategy for Lifespan and working closely with the state government and quality organizations in Rhode Island to improve safety and quality of care for the citizens of Rhode Island. Prior to assuming this position, Dr. Cooper was Chief Quality Officer for New York-Presbyterian Hospital. She was in that position for 12 years and was responsible for operation of the Hospital’s Six Sigma program as well as quality, patient safety, quality informatics, quality research and innovation strategy.
Dr. Cooper’s leadership experience has included a variety of positions in the quality arena beginning in 1990. She also practiced internal medicine for ten years prior to moving into administration. Her interests encompass health policy and shaping the quality agenda on a variety of topics including Six Sigma, patient safety and operational efficiencies.
Dr. Cooper’s achievements and honors include:
- Grants and fellowships in outcomes research, patient safety, information technology, case management, and cardiac medicine totaling over $8 Million.
- Publication of book chapters, abstracts, and journal articles including Circulation, Pediatric Pulmonology, Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association, Academic Medicine, and AORN Journal, among others.
- Presentations at numerous conferences and symposia.
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.