Dr. Cortez-Cooper, a native Texan, received her physical therapy degree from Boston University, Boston, MA in 1985. She returned to her hometown of Corpus Christi to practice there and in rural east Texas. While immersed in the rehabilitation of patients with many diabetes-related complications, she decided to pursue graduate studies to discover how to prevent them. In 1991, she earned her master’s degree from The University of Texas at Austin where she did research in exercise intensity and glucose uptake in an animal model of diabetes. Dr. Cortez-Cooper returned to the clinic and eventually academia to practice preventive medicine and to share with PT students, her passion for health and wellness. She taught in the collaborative program between the University of Texas Medical Branch-Galveston and the University of Texas at El Paso from 1992 – 1996 and later, at Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas from 1997 – 2000. Dr. Cortez-Cooper earned her Ph.D. from The University of Texas in 2005 where she investigated the impact of resistance and aerobic exercise on vascular stiffness in young and older adults. Upon receiving her degree, she taught in the DPT program at Augusta University, Augusta, GA for 10 years. Dr. Cortez-Cooper continued to pursue clinical practice and research related to prevention, health, and wellness throughout her tenure at AU. Dr. Cortez-Cooper came to Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions in May 2016 and teaches Applied Physiology, Pharmacotherapy, Cardiopulmonary Rehabilitation, Pathophysiology, and Health and Wellness. She lives in Vineyard, UT with her husband, son (when he comes home from college) and crazy boxer dog.
