Matthew Cooper, M.D. – Immediate Past President
Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital
Milwaukee, WI

Dr. Matthew Cooper is the Chief of the Transplant Surgery Division of Froedtert Memorial Lutheran Hospital, Director of Solid Organ Transplantation of Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin and Professor of Surgery and the Mark B. Adams Chair of Transplant Surgery for the Medical College of Wisconsin.

Mr. Cooper spent many years as Professor of Surgery and as the Director of Kidney and Pancreas Transplantation at the Medstar Georgetown Transplant Institute. After receiving his medical degree from the Georgetown University School of Medicine in 1994, Dr Cooper completed his general surgery training at the Medical College of Wisconsin followed by a fellowship in multi-organ abdominal transplantation in 2002 at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, MD. He joined the transplant faculty at the Johns Hopkins Hospital upon completion of his training, and was appointed Surgical Director of Kidney Transplantation and Clinical Research in 2003. While at Johns Hopkins Hospital, he was instrumental in the success of the division’s Incompatible Kidney Transplant Program and the world’s first live triple donor kidney exchange in July 2003. Dr. Cooper joined the University of Maryland in 2005 directing the kidney transplant and clinical research program until 2012 when he assumed his current role in Washington, DC.

Dr. Cooper trained with the pioneers of the laparoscopic donor nephrectomy, regularly performs these procedures and seeks new opportunities for living donation by removing the disincentives for those considering donation while promoting the safety and long-term care of live organ donors. Dr. Cooper is involved in several ongoing clinical research projects primarily with an interest in immunosuppression minimization and amelioration of delayed graft function in kidney allografts following ischemic reperfusion injury. He has authored over 80 peer-reviewed manuscripts and 6 book chapters.

Dr. Cooper is involved in the National Kidney Foundation both locally in the District and on a national basis. He is a member of the Board of Directors for the NKF of DC and a member of the NKF’s national End The Wait Task Force and Living Donor Executive Committee. He recently served as the chairman of the United Network of Organ Sharing’s (UNOS) Living Donor Committee and currently serves as UNOS’ President. Dr. Cooper also serves on the Board of the Washington Regional Transplant Community OPO with an effort toward eliminating wastage of deceased donor organs.