Dr. Richard Cook is a Principal with Adaptive Capacity Labs and Research Scientist in the Department of Integrated Systems Engineering at The Ohio State University (OSU) in Columbus, Ohio. He is an internationally recognized expert complex system failures, post-accident reactions to failure, and human performance at the sharp end of these systems. He has investigated a variety of problems in such diverse areas as urban mass transportation, semiconductor manufacturing, military software, and internet-based business systems. His publications include Above the Line, Below the Line in ACM Queue, How Complex Systems Fail, Gaps in the continuity of patient care and progress in patient safety, Operating at the Sharp End: The complexity of human error, Adapting to New Technology in the Operating Room, A Tale of Two Stories: Contrasting Views of Patient Safety, and Going Solid: A Model of System Dynamics and Consequences for Patient Safety.

Dr. Cook graduated with honors from Lawrence University in Appleton, WI, where he was a Scholar of the University. He worked for Control Data Corporation in supercomputer systems design and engineering applications. He received his MD degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1986. He practiced anesthesiology in academic centers for 30 yrs. He was Professor of Healthcare Systems Safety in KTH, Sweden’s Royal Institute of Technology (Kungliga Tekniska Högskolan) from April, 2012 through June, 2015, and is now Professor Emeritus of Healthcare Systems Safety.