Our Accomplishments

The Cooper Institute has achieved worldwide recognition for its outstanding scientific research and education on physical activity and health.

Significant Scientific Efforts and Educational Achievements

The Cooper Institute has received more than $10 million over the past decade from the National Institutes of Health to support studies of physical activity, which is more than any other single laboratory for research in this area.
Papers published by Cooper Institute scientists have been instrumental in identifying physical inactivity as an important public health problem, and in setting public health recommendations for physical activity. Research from the Institute is prominently referenced in policy and recommendation reports from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, American Heart Association, American College of Sports Medicine, World Health Organization, and numerous health agencies in countries world-wide.
Cooper Institute scientists have provided leadership for development of national public health policy statements on physical activity issued over the past decade.
Quantified the role of sedentary living habits as a cause of chronic disease, risk for development of functional limitations and reduced longevity.
Confirmed the inverse association of physical fitness and risk of mortality.
Developed and evaluated a lifestyle approach to physical activity interventions.
Influenced the development of several major initiatives on physical activity and public health in collaboration with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, National Institutes of Health, Surgeon General's Office, American College of Sports Medicine, and the American Heart Association.
Provided consultation on physical activity initiatives to public health authorities in England, Scotland, Sweden, The Netherlands, Spain, Singapore, Australia, Northern Ireland, Wales, Japan, Switzerland and the World Health Organization.
Provided training and consultation to all branches of the U.S. military and law enforcement organizations including "Fit for Duty" testing, standards development, and implementation of health promotion and fitness programs.
Transformed approaches for improving youth fitness in all 50 states and several foreign countries by providing FITNESSGRAM, a fitness assessment and reporting software program.
Provided training, certification, continuing education, and consultation to scientists, healthcare and public health practitioners, business leaders, and health promotion and fitness professionals.
Mentored undergraduate and graduate intern students and post-doctoral fellows from academic institutions throughout the world.
Expanded physical infrastructure with research facilities and laboratory equipment to enable current as well as future work.