In November 2022, Research.com published its annual, worldwide research rankings of scientists across all scientific specialities. We are incredibly proud that IOF President Professor Cyrus Cooper, Director and Professor of Rheumatology, MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre, University of Southampton, featured as a clear global leader in medicine.

Professor Cooper received a Best Scientist Award, ranking 44th for all scientists from any medical discipline globally, and 1st in the field of Medicine in the United Kingdom.

The award recognises Professor Cooper’s substantial body of work including nearly 2400 research outputs and 300,000 citations. It highlights the world-leading contribution Professor Cooper has made to the scientific literature on the global burden of disease, osteoporosis and rheumatic disorders and pioneering clinical studies on the developmental origins of peak bone mass.

Professor Cooper commented, “I am delighted to receive this award, which is recognition of the immense dedication and hard work of so many colleagues and collaborators in Southampton, the UK and across the world.”

Cyrus Cooper, OBE, DL, FMedSci is Professor of Rheumatology and Director of the MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre; Vice-Dean of the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton; and Professor of Epidemiology at the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences, University of Oxford. He leads an internationally competitive programme of research into the epidemiology of musculoskeletal disorders, most notably osteoporosis.  As well as being President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, he is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences; an emeritus NIHR Senior Investigator; and Associate Editor of Osteoporosis International. He has previously served as Chair of the IOF Scientific Advisors Committee; Chair, MRC Population Health Sciences Research Network; Chair of the Royal Osteoporosis Society of Great Britain; past-President of the Bone Research Society of Great Britain; and has worked on numerous Department of Health, European Community and World Health Organisation committees and working groups. In 2015, he was awarded an OBE for services to medical research.

Among the top-ranked investigators listed as being within the top 100 of all medical researchers for their respective countries by Research.com are several members of IOF’s Committee of Scientific Advisors, including (among others) Prof. Jean-Yves Reginster, University of Liege (9th in Belgium); Prof. Patrick Garnero, INSERM (86th in France); Prof.Bagher Larijani, Tehran University of Medical Sciences (15th in Iran); Prof. Paul Lips, VU University Medical Center (48th in the Netherlands); Prof.Ian R. Reid, University of Auckland (3rd in New Zealand); Prof. Erik Fink Eriksen, University of Oslo (28th in Norway) and Prof. John A. Kanis, University of Sheffield (46th in the UK). 

IOF CEO Dr Philippe Halbout stated, “We congratulate Professor Cooper and the many experts within the IOF family for their outstanding scientific work. It is gratifying to see that members of IOF’s scientific community are among the world’s most influential researchers, reflecting IOF’s global impact within the bone and muscle field.”