When Kenneth Cooper, MD, MPH, published his first bestseller, Aerobics, in 1968, he introduced a new word and a new concept, launching a worldwide fitness revolution. Ken continues to be recognized as the leader of the international physical fitness movement and is credited with motivating more people to exercise in pursuit of good health than any other person. In 1968, only 100,000 people were jogging in America. That number is now more than 30 million strong, thanks to the work and influence of Dr. Cooper.
During his 13 years of service in the U.S. Army and U.S. Air Force, Ken served as a flight surgeon and director of the Aerospace Medical Laboratory in San Antonio, TX. He also developed the 12-minute and 1.5-mile fitness tests and the Aerobics Point System, all used today by military organizations, amateur and professional athletic teams, law enforcement agencies, and many public schools and universities all over the world.
After the publication of Aerobics, Ken resigned from the Air Force to pursue full-time the exploration of the relationship between cardiovascular fitness and health and longevity. In 1970 Ken's dream became a reality with the opening of Cooper Aerobics Center in Dallas, where he serves as Chairman of eight health and wellness companies and a non-profit research and education facility, The Cooper Institute.
Ken completed his undergraduate and medical degrees at the University of Oklahoma. He holds a MPH from the Harvard University School of Public Health and is certified by the American Board of Preventive Medicine.