LETTER FROM THE BOARD CHAIRMAN & PRESIDENT

INVESTIGATE. INFORM. INSPIRE.

Dear Friends,

The Cooper Institute is grounded in science with a mission to improve health and wellness through research, education and advocacy. Our founder, Dr. Kenneth H. Cooper, is a true pioneer in the field of exercise as medicine. Under his guiding light, the role of physical activity and healthy living to promote both health and wellness has led to dramatic societal changes, making a powerful impact on public health over the past 50 years.

Today, it is well known that physical activity and fitness are imperative for better overall health. Despite that fact, the obesity and inactivity crisis continues. In 2019, we continued to follow this critical vision.

First, we continued our prevention research to understand the optimal lifestyle factors to encourage more Americans to live healthy lives without health-altering obesity and inactivity.

In addition, with over 56 million Americans who will be 65 or older in 2020, the race is on to understand how to help everyone live longer, healthier, physically active lives.

Using the world-renowned Cooper Center Longitudinal Study (CCLS) and partnering with researchers from across the country and the world, our research team will explore the best ways to maintain memory and brain health throughout the lifespan as well as other critical topics in healthy aging.

The CCLS will allow researchers to answer important prevention questions for many years to come.

The Cooper Institute advocates and educates the public, the healthcare community, and policy-makers on the health and wellness benefits of exercise throughout the lifespan. Our bold long-term goal is to ensure that every child in every state has quality physical education and fitness assessment. We are fortunate to have long-term strategic partners, like the National Football League Foundation and United Way of Metropolitan Dallas, that share our common goal of raising healthy, fit children who will grow into healthy, fit adults.

As a 501(c)3 non-profit, our goal is to fund our endowment to allow our critical public health research to continue into the next 50 years. In the past year, we have continued to focus our activities, tighten our expenses, and build the endowment so that we can impact the health of future generations. We are so grateful for your commitment and support of our on-going scientific research.

Join us as we enter into the second 50 years of important prevention and lifestyle research and education.

It will take all of us to improve the health of our city, nation, and world. “March Forth” with us and live Well. Into the future.

Tedd Mitchell, MD Chairman, Board of Trustees, The Cooper Institute

Laura F. DeFina, MD, FACP President and CEO, The Cooper Institute