Dr Cook
Dr Cook leads Dr Bonds in an educational webcast
Dr. Cook's professional scientific interests include research in human neurophysiology and psychopharmacology. His projects are undertaken to expand what is known about how the brain works in normal states and in the presence of mood and cognitive disorders. He also studies the blood brain barrier, particularly how it acts as a "gatekeeper" in regulating what molecules are allowed into the brain. He has received funding from the National Institutes of Health, from private philanthropies, and from industrial sponsors in support of his research. Some of his publications are listed online.
His work on understanding antidepressant medication effects on the brain has been covered by the media, including the Wall Street Journal, NY Times, LA Times, Time Magazine, BBC, NPR, and may others; full information is online at depression.ucla.edu. A recent QuickTime video clip from ScienCentral about this work can be viewed here, either broadband or dial-up connections.
His clinical work has focused on the treatment of mood disorders, particularly depression. He currently sees patients only in the context of the UCLA General Outpatient Clinic, a teaching clinic at the Neuropsychiatric Hospital's outpatient program.
His devotion to the educational mission of the NPI was acknowledged when the trainees in the Department bestowed on him their "Outstanding Teacher Award" on three separate occasions, 1995, 1998, and 2001. He teaches medical students, residents, and fellows at UCLA; his belief in educational outreach is achieved through the Office of Professional and Community Education, of which he is Associate Director. He speaks internationally on topics spanning from practical measures in the management of depression, to neurophysiologic windows into the function of the mind, to the use of the internet to improve clinical education and therefore "raise the bar" in clinical care.
In parallel with this work, he has led the Neuropsychiatric Institute's efforts to utilize online technologies to improve education and research. From the NPI's flagship education site, MentalHealth.ucla.edu, he launched the Institute's use of streaming video as an instructional medium, by webcasting Grand Rounds programming. This was one of the first uses of streaming media in mental health education and recognized for innovation on the RealNetworks site.
He is pushing the educational envelope with his nonlinear e-textbook site, www.CookNotes.com; access is currently limited to trainees at UCLA, but this will change at some point in the future.