Dr. Cooper's research seeks to understand the role of physical activity and exercise in growth and development in children and adolescents in health and disease. Ongoing research areas include: novel approaches to gas exchange signal transduction during exercise; genomic and epigenetic responses to exercise in circulating immune cells; rethinking protocols for exercise testing in children with a specific focus on children with sickle cell disease and children with cystic fibrosis, and the optimal use of school-based physical fitness testing to mitigate health care disparities.