About

David T. Cooke, M.D., F.A.C.S., is a faculty member in the Department of Surgery at UC Davis Health. His role includes contributing to the department's surgical services and education programs. The page lists him among the faculty involved in various surgical specialties, including general thoracic surgery, but does not provide specific details about his research focus, background, or key contributions.

Research topics

• Medicine
• Internal medicine
• Intensive care medicine
• Surgery
• Virology
• Oncology
• Medical emergency
• Emergency medicine
• General surgery
• Psychology

Selected publications

• The Society of Thoracic Surgeons (2025) Expert Consensus Document on Interventions for Screen-Detected Lung Nodules

  The Annals of Thoracic Surgery · 2026-02-01 · 1 citations

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  PublisherDOI

• Misinformation and Overestimation of Computed Tomography Lung Cancer Screening Harms—Methodology Matters: A Joint Statement from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the American College of Radiology

  Journal of the American College of Radiology · 2026-01-01

  articleOpen access
  PublisherOA PDFDOI

• Misinformation and Overestimation of Computed Tomography Lung Cancer Screening Harms—Methodology Matters: A Joint Statement from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the American College of Radiology

  International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics · 2026-01-20

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Misinformation and Overestimation of Computed Tomography Lung Cancer Screening Harms—Methodology Matters: A Joint Statement from The Society of Thoracic Surgeons, the American Society for Radiation Oncology, and the American College of Radiology

  The Annals of Thoracic Surgery · 2026-01-20

  article
  PublisherDOI

• National evaluation of mistreatment and well-being in cardiothoracic surgery trainees

  Journal of Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery · 2025-10-15 · 3 citations

  article
  PublisherDOI

• Maintaining Health Equity in Precision Surgery

  Thoracic surgery clinics/Thorac. surg. clin. · 2025-08-07

  reviewSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Thoracic Surgery Outcomes Research Network (ThORN) Consensus Document on Defining a High-Quality Wedge Resection for Early-Stage Lung Cancer

  The Annals of Thoracic Surgery · 2025-01-08 · 7 citations

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

• Considerations for the equitable selection of thoracic surgery residents and fellows

  JTCVS Open · 2025-10-11

  articleOpen access

  Background: Equitable selection of surgical trainees is essential to maintaining the integrity and excellence that is central to cardiothoracic surgical education. Selection processes must ensure that all candidates are evaluated fairly and consistently, minimizing bias while identifying those with the greatest potential for technical competence, clinical excellence, and upholding the principles of professionalism. Despite progress, many current approaches remain overly reliant on academic metrics that do not fully capture the attributes required for success in surgical training and practice. Objective: This expert opinion article examines contemporary challenges and evolving priorities in achieving a fair and equitable selection of surgical trainees, drawing on experience in surgical education, program leadership, and performance assessment. Results: Traditional selection metrics-such as academic achievement, standardized test scores, and research productivity-remain valuable but insufficient predictors of operative aptitude, resilience, teamwork, and ethical judgment. Emerging evidence supports a more comprehensive evaluation framework that incorporates behavioral and situational assessments, structured interviews, and evaluation of professional attributes such as integrity, adaptability, and commitment to improvement. This article proposes a multidimensional selection model designed to improve predictive validity and fairness in trainee recruitment and assessment. Conclusions: The future of surgical education depends on refining selection processes to identify candidates with both technical potential and the personal characteristics essential for excellence in cardiothoracic surgery. An evidence-informed, transparent, and equitable approach to trainee selection will strengthen the specialty and ensure the continued delivery of high-quality patient care.

  PublisherDOI

• Navigating Family Leave in Cardiothoracic Surgery Training

  The Annals of Thoracic Surgery · 2025-05-02 · 1 citations

  review
  PublisherDOI

• The Thoracic Surgery Directors Association In-Training Exam: Development, Implementation, and 6-Year Trends

  The Annals of Thoracic Surgery · 2025-12-31

  articleSenior author
  PublisherDOI

Frequent coauthors

• Elizabeth A. David

  University of Colorado Denver

  57 shared

• Lisa M. Brown

  Birmingham Community Healthcare NHS Trust

  45 shared

• Robert C. Robbins

  University of Missouri Health System

  37 shared

• Leora B. Balsam

  Leo Pharma (Australia)

  25 shared

• David R. Gandara

  23 shared

• Royce Calhoun

  St. Elizabeth Healthcare

  21 shared

• Philip C. Mack

  20 shared

• William F. Fearon

  VA Palo Alto Health Care System

  20 shared

Awards & honors

• UC Davis Health Diamond Doc Award - Patient Appreciation, 20…
• Reinsch Endowed Lectureship
• UC Davis Medical Center Chief of Staff Award, 2021
• Elected to membership to the American Surgical Association,…
• Elected to Board of Directors, American Board of Thoracic Su…