San Juan Capistrano, CA, July 8, 1997 — David L. Cooper,
Ph.D., M.D., an internationally-recognized medical authority in molecular diagnostics and
molecular science, has been named Scientific Director and Chief Operating Officer of the
Reference Laboratory at Quest Diagnostics' Nichols Institute. In his new role, Dr.
Cooper will manage reference laboratory operations for Quest Diagnostics' San Juan
Capistrano-based facility, oversee research and development activities, and supervise
business administration functions at Nichols Institute.
Quest Diagnostics' Nichols Institute is a global leader in the provision of
complex diagnostic, prognostic, and cancer detection marker testing for hospitals,
independent laboratories and physicians. These tests incorporated the latest scientific
and medical advances in molecular diagnostics, including polymerase chain reaction (PCR)
Amplification and DNA Probe Analysis technologies to substantiate diagnosis and monitor
effectiveness of treatment.
Dr. Cooper has more than twenty years of experience in molecular biology and genetics,
and over a decade of experience in clinical service. Most recently he was Associate
Professor of Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh and Associate Member of the
Pittsburgh Cancer Institute. He has held numerous academic and medical appointments,
including servings as Assistant Professor of Pathology at Duke University Medical Center,
Durham, North Carolina. Dr. Cooper completed post-doctoral fellowships at Johns Hopkins
University, Baltimore, Maryland, and the Institute for Cancer Research/Fox Chase,
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
"Dr. Cooper's expertise and leadership in the field of molecular diagnostics
squarely position Nichols Institute as Quest Diagnostics' Center for Diagnostic
Innovation," said Gregory Critchfield, M.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Medical
and Science Officer for Quest Diagnostics. "This signals our commitment to the growth
of molecular medicine in health care, and the provision of the most
technologically-advanced diagnostic and prognostic testing services in a commercial
reference laboratory environment.
Formerly the president of the Association for Molecular Pathology, Dr. Cooper is
currently Editor-in-Chief for the scientific journal Molecular Diagnosis. He also
holds the distinction of being one of four Americans to serve on the International
Editorial Advisory Board for the Journal of Pathology. He won a Physiology
Fellowship at the Marine biology Laboratory, Woods Hole, Massachusetts and held The Lichfield
Lectureship, Nuffield Department of Pathology & Bacteriology at Oxford University,
Headington, Oxford, England.
Dr. Cooper is internationally known in the field of molecular biology and medicine. He
has been funded by research grants from the National Institutes of Health, The American
Cancer Society, and the Department of Defense in the areas of gene diagnostics and
therapeutics. He holds a Ph.D. in Chemistry from Florida State University, Tallahassee,
Florida and a M.D. in Medicine from the University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida. He
completed his Internship in pediatrics in 1985 and served his Clinical Pathology Residency
at the University of Florida in 1987.
Quest Diagnostics Incorporated is one of the world's leading providers of
diagnostic testing, information and services, with regional laboratories across the United
States. The wide variety of tests performed on human tissue and fluids help doctors and
hospitals diagnose, treat and monitor disease. Quest Diagnostics' Nichols Institute
conducts research, produces test kits and instruments, and specializes in esoteric testing
using genetic screening and other advanced technologies. Formerly known as Corning
Clinical Laboratories Inc., Quest Diagnostics was spun off to Corning Incorporated
stockholders in a tax-free distribution of shares on December 31, 1996.