Linda Cooper was a Professor and Associate Director of the Collaborative Degree Program in the School of Nursing at Ryerson University. Dr. Cooper graduated from the Wellesley Hospital School of Nursing in 1968. She earned her BSc from the University of Windsor, her MS from Boston University, and her PhD from Wayne State University. Her research focuses on young children's exposure to community violence, the use of creative strategies in the classroom, and mentorship. She teaches in the undergraduate and graduate programs, with an emphasis on theoretical foundations of nursing practice and nursing knowledge development. Cooper is actively involved in Sigma Theta Tau International and the Registered Nurses Foundation of Ontario (RNFOO), acting as the latter's Vice-President and chair of the Awards and Scholarships Committee. She has been awarded research grants from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research, the Mental Health Commission of Canada, and others, and has held several positions in clinical practice. Dr. Cooper retired from Ryerson University in 2015.