Cyrus Cooper, Professor of Musculoskeletal Epidemiology at NDORMS; a member of the Governing Body of St Peters College; and Director of the Medical Research Council Lifecourse Epidemiology Unit, has been awarded an OBE in the Queen's New Year Honours 2014.
Professor Cooper has been recognised for services to medical research. He comments: "I’m surprised and delighted to be recognised with this very special honour. I am fortunate to have been involved in working on the causes and prevention of musculoskeletal disorders, a major cause of ill health and disability. Throughout my career I have been privileged to work with outstanding colleagues in both academia and the clinical setting, who are very much part of this achievement. I am also indebted to the Medical Research Council for their continuous support of my research over almost three decades. I hope that I can continue to make a difference as we seek to develop and improve the health of our population across the lifecourse."
Professor Cooper leads an internationally competitive programme of research into the epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders, most notably osteoporosis. His key research contributions have been the discovery of the developmental influences which contribute to the risk of osteoporosis and hip fracture in late adulthood; the demonstration that maternal vitamin D insufficiency is associated with sub-optimal bone mineral accrual in childhood; characterisation of the definition and incidence rates of vertebral fracture; and leadership of large pragmatic randomised controlled trials of calcium and vitamin D supplementation in the elderly as immediate preventative strategies against hip fracture.
Professor Cooper is Chairman of the International Osteoporosis Foundation Committee of Scientific Advisors; immediate past-Chair of the MRC Population Health Sciences Research Network and Associate Editor of the journal Osteoporosis International. He has published over 650 research papers on osteoporosis and rheumatic disorders.
Professor Andrew Carr, Chair of the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences says: "This award to Professor Cooper is richly deserved in recognition of his outstanding contribution to research and leadership in understanding the causes of musculoskeletal diseases over the lifecourse and how we might prevent these disabling conditions in the future."