Board of Directors

Dr. Philip W. Cooper, Jr.
Office 912 234-5003
pcooperjr@gmail.com

Dr. Philip W. Cooper, Jr. is a native of Savannah, Georgia. He is a graduate of Meharry Medical College – School of Dentistry. In addition to practicing dentistry, he is the Co-Founder and Chief Investigator for Smiles Are Meaningful, Inc., a research organization whose focus is the impact of Sleep Apnea on growth and development in African American Children. Dr. Cooper taught in the public schools of North Carolina, and at Armstrong State College (Armstrong Atlantic State University), in Savannah. He has conducted seminars for school districts, including pre-k and the elementary grades, child care centers, and community groups in the areas of Sleep Apnea and Cognitive Development. Dr. Cooper is the author of the 2009 book, WHY? AFRICAN AMERICAN CHILDREN CAN NOT READ, which emphasizes the impact of Sleep Apnea on children’s ability to learn to read. Cooper has presented and served as keynote speaker for multiple audiences on the subject of Healthcare Disparities and Learning Disabilities – The New Frontier, Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Brain Development inclusive of;

• Alabama State Pre-K Conference
• Chatham Association of Educators
• Chatham Association of Retired Educators
• Georgia Dental Society
• Georgia Association of Educators
• Georgia State Medical Association
• Glynn County (Georgia) Public School System
• Mitchell County (Georgia) Public School System – Professional Development
• National Black Child Development Institute Annual Conference
• City of Savannah, Moses Jackson Advancement Center
• National Medical Association
• Savannah Youth Futures Authority Children’s Summit
• Savannah-Chatham County Public School System – Parent University – Pre-K and High School Teacher Orientation Sessions
• State of Georgia Title I Directors Conference
• Wayne State University Institute for the Study of the African American Child Conference on Research Directions
  Lincoln Dental Society – Chicago, IL.
• North Dallas Hispanic Dental Association, Dallas, TX.
• Angel Dental Society – Los Angeles, California
• Economic Opportunity Authority, Professional Development Conference, August, 2012

Recent Presentations:

• Speaker, The Neurological impact of Obstructive Sleep Apnea On Brain Development. Sponsored by The American Association Of Physiological Medicine and Dentistry, Oakland, California, June 14, 20013.
• Featured Speaker, Neurobehavioral Implications of Sleep Disordered Breathing, Gulf State Dental Association. Sponsored by The Appliance Therapy Group’s – Smile Foundation. Huston, Texas June 2, 2013
• Featured Speaker, NYU College Of Dentistry Alumni Association 2nd Annual Symposium. Sponsored by The New York State Association of Pediatric Dentists and the New York School of Dentistry Department of Pediatrics. The topic: Obstructive Sleep Apnea and Pediatric Oral Health, New York September 22, 2012.
• Speaker, The Silent Airway Problem that can Impact a Child’s Brain Development Symposium. Sponsored by the American Association of Physiological Medicine & Dentistry. Topic: Neurological Implications of Sleep Disordered Breathing, New York October 6, 2012
• Speaker, MultipleCare Pathways : Sleep Disorder Breathing Conference. Sponsored by the ACADEMY OF CILNICAL SLEEP DISORDERES DISCIPLINES, Phoenix, Arizona, October 20, 2012.
• Trainer, Health Care Ambassadors, National Baptist Convention, Project H.O.P.E. Sponsored by the National Baptist Convention, USA, INC., Atlanta, Georgia, September 4, 2012
• Trainer, Health Care Ambassadors, National Baptist Convention, Project H.O.P.E. Sponsored by the National Baptist Convention, USA, INC., Saint Louis, Missouri June 18, 2012.

Currently, Dr. Cooper is developing the Oral Health Tool Kit for the U.S. Department Of Health and Human Services Tri-Regional Faith-Based Community Health Summit, the Chatham-Savannah Promise Neighborhood Collaboration, and State of Georgia Department of Human Services/Annie E. Casey Foundation, Incorporated – Reading at Grade Level by Third Grade Initiative.

Professionally, Dr. Cooper is a member of the National Dental Association, American Association of Physiological Medicine and Dentistry, American Academy of Sleep Disorders Discipline, International Association for Orthodontics, American Association for Functional Orthodontics, Mid-American Orthodontic Society, American Academy of Dental Sleep Medicine, American Academy of Sleep Medicine, Appliance Therapy Practitioners Association, The Academy of Clinical Sleep Disorder Disciplines and a registered Sleep Group Solutions Center.

Dr. Cooper is the Clinical Director of Coastal Sleep Solutions, a dental clinical practice devoted to treating Sleep apnea patients who are CPAP intolerant and pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome patients. He is a member of the California-based Smile Foundation Lecture Faculty and has presented at multiple venues on “The Role of the Dentist in Sleep Medicine” and “Pediatric Obstructive Sleep Apnea”. He is also a Board Member of the American Association of Physiological Medicine & Dentistry.

He is a member of the National Black Child Development Institute, a number of other health and education-focused organizations.

Dr. Cooper is past Chairman of the Board of Directors of the West Broad Street YMCA, on the Board of Directors of The Goodness and Mercy Foundation – Hands Across Africa, and served as a volunteer on the Medical Team that has completed multiple mission trips to Ghana and Nigeria, Africa. Dr. Cooper is committed to helping youth develop to their greatest potential, educationally, socially, mentally, and physically, as is evidenced by his membership and leadership on the boards of several child and youth-serving organizations.