Daniel E. Cooper, M.D.
Profile
Dr. Cooper is a Dallas native, son of a physician and graduate of Highland Park High School. He attended the University of Tennessee on full athletic scholarship, where he was a magna cum laude graduate in 3 years, the captain of their top ten nationally ranked tennis team, holder of two Southeastern Conference tennis titles, and twice the recipient of the President’s Citation for Extraordinary Academic Achievement. He received an early acceptance to UT Southwestern Medical School in Dallas, where he was elected to the Alpha Omega Alpha honor medical society. He was awarded the prestigious Orthopaedic Sports Medicine Fellowship at Cornell University’s Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City, which has repeatedly been named the #1 Orthopaedic Hospital in the country by US News. While there he trained on both the Sports Medicine Knee and Shoulder Services under the direction of Russell Warren, MD, the long time team doctor for the New York Giants and renowned pioneer of modern sports medicine research and surgical techniques. He is board certified by the American Board of Orthopaedic Surgery, and a member of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine, Arthroscopy Association of North America, the National Football League Team Physician Society. He is past president of the Texas Society of Sports Medicine.
Practice Profile:
Dr. Cooper is a widely recognized authority in the field of sports medicine, sub-specializing in injuries to the knee and shoulder. He treats all types of athletes; professionals, collegiate, high school and recreational. He is currently the head team physician for the Dallas Cowboys Football Team and formerly for the Dallas Stars Hockey Team (1993-2011). He has served as a team physician in professional sports for over 30 combined seasons, and has been elected by his physician peers to D Magazine’s annual edition of “Best Doctors in Dallas” thirteen times. Dr. Cooper’s practice primarily focuses on minimally invasive arthroscopic and reconstructive surgical techniques for the knee and shoulder that restore stability and joint function in young athletic individuals. He also performs arthroscopic elbow and ankle procedures in athletes. He in an internationally known expert in the treatment of complex knee ligament injuries involving injury to the anterior cruciate, posterior cruciate and collateral ligaments, and his practice serves as a referral center for difficult and revision cases. In addition to his current affiliation with the Dallas Cowboys, Dr. Cooper serves in an independent consulting role to numerous collegiate and professional teams, sports agents and their players. He is a frequent speaker at national and international meetings.
Research And Publications:
Dr. Cooper received the Excellence in Research Award from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine for his post-graduate research related to graft strength for ACL surgery in the knee. He has developed and published new techniques for PCL reconstruction in the knee and recently invented and co-developed a completely new less invasive instrument system for arthroscopic surgery (Stryker Endoscopy; product launch – Feb 2012). He is currently a lead investigator and Scientific Advisory Board Member for the award winning and NIH funded Multicenter ACL Revision Study (MARS), researching outcomes in over 1200 ACL revision surgeries. Dr. Cooper is an editorial reviewer for the American Journal of Sports Medicine, the Journal of Arthroscopic Surgery and the Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. He has published over 30 scientific articles and book chapters as well as the textbook, Review of Sports Medicine and Arthroscopy in two editions.
Personal Commitments:
Dr. Cooper is an Advisory Director on the Boards of the Children’s Cancer Fund of Dallas and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. He and his wife, Heather, are Board Members of Council for Life, a faith based support organization existing to empower women, men and youth to make life-affirming choices when faced with unplanned pregnancy. Dr. Cooper is devoted to his wife and three children, and enjoys as much golf and fishing as possible in whatever time there is to spare! Dr. Cooper wants his patients to also know that his employees are unsurpassed, each having over 20 years experience in their position and a genuine concern for helping others in their career. Our team of professionals remains committed to serving you in your orthopaedic needs by providing the highest quality of treatment and service.
Educational Background
Undergraduate
University of Tennessee, Magna Cum Laude
Medical
The University of Texas Southwestern Medical School
Residency
Orthopaedic Surgery -University of Texas Health Science Center, San Antonio
Fellowship
The Hospital for Special Surgery, Cornell University Medical Center, New York City Specializing in Sports Medicine, Arthroscopic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Knee and Shoulder