March 12, 2004

Excellence recognized, award established

Jeffrey Cooper, PhD, of Biomedical Engineering, was named this year's recipient of the MGH Board of Trustees' annual Nathaniel Bowditch Prize in recognition of his significant contributions to improving the quality of care while reducing costs. Andrew L. Warshaw, MD, surgeon-in-chief and chairman of the Bowditch Prize Nominating Committee, presented the prize — an award certificate, a lapel pin and a check for $5,000 — last month at a luncheon honoring Cooper and 12 other nominees.

Cooper was recognized for his ongoing work in improving patient quality and safety, and he was nominated by Ronald Newbower, PhD, MGH senior vice president for Research and Technology. A widely respected national leader in the prevention of adverse events and patient injury through research and education, Cooper also is a founder of the Anesthesia Patient Safety Foundation and helped to organize the nonprofit Center for Medical Simulation, which focuses on training in the management of critical events, teamwork and other issues related to patient safety.

"I am honored and grateful beyond words to be receiving this Bowditch Prize from the MGH," said Cooper, (above left with Warshaw). "I feel that this award is being given in recognition not so much of anything that I have done but more for the fact that the MGH has incorporated patient safety as one of its guiding principles." In response to his honor, Cooper announced his intention to donate the prize money back to the MGH to establish an award to support patient safety programs and improvements.

The Bowditch Prize was established by Charles and Nancy Munger through the Alfred C. Munger Foundation to honor Nathaniel Bowditch (1773-1838), a pioneer in celestial navigation. Bowditch's two sons were important figures in the history of the MGH. Nathaniel Ingersoll Bowditch served for several years as a trustee, both as a chairman and vice president, and also was responsible for writing the first volume of the MGH's history. His brother, Henry, was a house officer at the MGH in 1832 and became a leader in the treatment of diseases of the chest.