Laura Cooley, PhD
Senior Director of Education and Outreach, Academy of Communication in Healthcare; Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
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Laura Cooley, PhD, serves as Senior Director of Education and Outreach for The Academy of Communication in Healthcare (ACH) and Assistant Clinical Professor, Department of Medicine, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. Dr. Cooley leads strategic efforts to support the non-profit mission of ACH by collaborating with healthcare leaders to develop and deliver customized communication skills training programs. She has recently led program implementation efforts for major health systems such as: Stanford Healthcare, Yale New Haven Hospital, Northwell Health, Adventist Health, The Texas Children's Hospital, and many other health systems across the U.S. While earning her doctorate in Health Communication Science she examined organizational and interpersonal communication dynamics encountered across the healthcare context. Her research interests include the intersections between patient-centered care, interpersonal skills, mindfulness, empathy, and communication in the end-of-life context. She frequently presents to audiences at major healthcare systems and at national events hosted by organizations such as, The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), The American Medical Group Association (AMGA), Planetree, The Beryl Institute, and Press Ganey. She recently co-edited the book "Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare Through Relationship-Centered Communication".