Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology : University of Vermont

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Department of Medicine

Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology

Bio for Sheldon Cooper, M.D.

Sheldon Cooper, M.D.

Professor of Medicine, Rheumatology
Department of Medicine

Contact Information

E-mail: sheldon.cooper@uvm.edu
Phone: 802-656-2144
Office Location: Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit, Given Building D-301, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Burlington, VT 05405, USA

Education

1963 B.S. cum laude, Hobart College, Geneva, New York
1967 M.D. New York University School of Medicine, New York, New York

Research Interests

Dr. Cooper’s research is focused on understanding the pathogenic mechanisms involved in rheumatoid arthritis, other types of inflammatory arthritis and osteoarthritis. Using this information, new therapeutic agents are developed and tested to determine both their clinical efficacy and their effect upon pathogenic pathways that result in inflammation and/or joint damage. Examples of this strategy are the studies that showed minocycline to be an effective drug for rheumatoid arthritis. Mnocycline is an antibiotic that also inhibits the inflammatory response and the enzymatic processes that degrade cartilage and connective tissue. This has provided the rationale for studying whether minocycline, or other tetracycline antibiotics, can slow the progression of osteoarthritis. It has been established that biologic agents that inhibit tumor necrosis factor a (TNF a ) are remarkably effective in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis. However, it is not known what cellular mechanisms and signaling pathways are influenced by ant-TNFa agents. Clinical research and in vitro studies are in progress to determine what changes occur in patients treated with anti-TNF a drugs, with emphasis on the p38 MAP kinase

Academic Appointments

1974-1979 Assistant Professor of Medicine, University of Southern California School of Medicine, Los Angeles, California
1980-1982 Associate Professor of Medicine, USC School of Medicine
1981-1982 Research Coordinator, Clinical Immunology and Rheumatic Disease Section, University of Southern California School of Medicine
1982-1986 Associate Professor of MedicineDirector, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont
1986-present Professor of MedicineDirector, Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology Unit, University of Vermont College of Medicine, Burlington, Vermont

Publications

Franklin E, Frangione B, Cooper SM: Heavy chain diseases. Ann. N.Y. Acad. Sci. 190:457-466, 1972.

Schneider J, Chin W, Friou GJ, Cooper SM, Harding B, Hill RL, Quismorio FP: Reduced cytotoxic activity of antibody dependent lymphoid effector cells in systemic lupus erythematosus. Clin. Exp. Immunol. 20:187-192, 1975.

Cooper SM, Sambray Y: Isolation of a murine leukemia Fc receptor by selective release induced by surface redistribution. J. Immunol. 117:511-517, 1976.

Noyes FR, Grood ES, Nussbaum NS, Cooper SM: Effect of intra-articular corticosteroids on ligament properties. Clin. Orthopaedics 123:197-209, 1976.

To view more of Dr. Cooper's publications, please visit PubMed.