We are excited to welcome Dr. Stephen Cooper as a new fellow in our Infectious Diseases program! Dr. Cooper joins us following the completion of an internal medicine residency in Omaha at Creighton University. Read on to learn a little more about him.
Tell us about the position you are starting.
I am excited to undergo a fellowship in infectious diseases at the University of Nebraska Medical Center. I look forward to learning more about the world of infectious diseases, everything from microorganism resistance mechanisms to politely asking primary teams to remove central lines.
Why did you choose to come to work at UNMC?
I realized during my M3 year as I was writing another patient biography that I belonged with the infectious disease doctors of the world. I’ve always wanted to see and learn as much as possible and was excited by the opportunities present at UNMC. We have a phenomenal ID team here with world-renowned physicians and expert teams in subspecialty areas of ID like orthopedics, transplant, and hematology/oncology ID.
What makes you excited about working in ID?
There isn’t really a good way to say I like infectious diseases without sounding like a weird bacteriaphile. It doesn’t help that our ears perk up when a patient’s cultures grow an organism that the primary team can’t pronounce. I find infectious diseases fascinating but mainly derive satisfaction from ridding people of the effects that come from harboring said mutinous organisms. The field of ID is so broad because any organ can have an infection in it. I love that I get to keep wearing my internal medicine hat when thinking about patients and yet have the sole job of eradicating infections. As physicians, we deal with a lot of chronic issues, and it is really rewarding to be able to cure someone of an infectious process.
Tell us something about yourself that is unrelated to medicine
I am a husband and father of two of the most wonderful children on the planet, unbiased opinion. I enjoy pretty much every sport known to mankind from your classics like basketball and football to your backyard games like Bareither Ball and Can Jam. I was a decathlete in college and have always enjoyed being active, much to the chagrin of my sinew. On a typical day off you can find me throwing some disc at Seymour park or biking around Omaha.