Dr. Neil Cooper
Paediatric Sport Physician, MD FRCPC DipSportMed, Clin. Assist. Professor
Dr. Neil Cooper is a Pediatrician and Sports Medicine Physician, one of only a handful in the country. He graduated from University of Calgary Medical School in 1990 and completed pediatric residency at the Alberta Children’s Hospital in 1994. He is a Clinical Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Calgary.
Since 1994 he has had an active practice in Pediatrics in Calgary. Dr. Cooper’s involvement in playing and coaching football led him to explore and then study sports medicine and he completed his Diploma in Sports and Exercise Medicine in 2007.
He served 6 years as the team physician for the Calgary Colts Junior Football team and has covered multiple other sporting events including World Junior Hockey and World Cup Speed Skating. He has traveled extensively as a team physician with Samaritan’s purse providing medical care (and shoe box gifts) in several third world countries.
For more than 20 years, Dr. Cooper was a consulting pediatrician and the physician lead with the Child Abuse Service at the Alberta Children’s Hospital and the Luna Child Advocacy Centre.
Dr. Cooper has served in numerous roles with the Alberta Medical Association- as Fees Representative and President for the Section of Pediatrics, on the AMA Representative Forum for 16 years and the Board of Directors for 7 years. In 2017/2018 he was the Alberta Medical Association President. His focus was on fair compensation for Alberta physicians and he has served on many committees in the areas of IM/IT, EMRs, child abuse, and physician compensation.
Dr. Cooper has served more than 30 years as the Medical Director and on the Executive for the charity Dreams Take Flight, a national charity that takes socially, mentally, medically and physically challenged children a one-day, all expenses paid adventure to Disneyland. He has personally accompanied more than 3800 children to the “Happiest Place on Earth.” (yyc.dreamstakeflight.ca)
Dr. Cooper is married to Colleen for 42 years and they have 3 adult children. In their spare time they enjoy skiing, biking, sailing and traveling the world and can often be found under water near some tropical island.