Laura Cooley PhD

Laura Cooley PhD

Editor in Chief
Journal of Patient Experience

On a mission to operationalize humanism in healthcare, Dr. Cooley is an academic professional with deep practical expertise and a doctorate in health communication. She serves as Editor-in-Chief for The Journal of Patient Experience and is co-editor for the book Communication Rx: Transforming Healthcare through Communication and Relationships.

For more than a decade, Dr. Cooley led education and development for an academic non-profit, The Academy of Communication in Healthcare (ACH). By fostering connections with executive leaders of hospitals, academic medical centers, and clinic groups, she drove exponential growth of patient experience and communication skills training in the US and abroad.

During her tenure with ACH, she cultivated a portfolio of 100+ organizational healthcare education clients and led the launch of 40+ train-the-trainer programs to advance clinician communication skills. Examples of her partnership experience include Stanford Healthcare, Yale New Haven Hospital, Northwell Health, Texas Children’s Hospital, Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, Baylor Scott & White, & more.

She has presented at numerous conference events, include: HIMSS, The American Hospital Association (AHA), The American Medical Group Association (AMGA), The Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI), Planetree, The Beryl Institute, The Schwartz Center for Compassionate Care, Press Ganey and more.

Dr. Cooley provides dynamic, interactive learning while presenting compelling data, research, and strategies to enhance relationships with patients and colleagues