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Education

Medical Education
Wake Forest University School of Medicine, MD, 2001
Residencies
Michigan State University/Sparrow, 2005
Specialties
OB-GYN-General
OB-GYN-Gynecology
Board Certifications
American Board of Obstetrics & Gynecology, 2009

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Background

 Dr. James W. Cook joined the faculty of the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2012 and serves as Assistant Dean of Clinical Learning. He is a graduate of the University of Iowa and earned his M.D. from Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He completed his residency in Obstetrics and Gynecology at Michigan State University.

As a National Health Service Corps scholar, Dr. Cook began his career with the Indian Health Service in Phoenix, Arizona, caring for underserved patients. During this time, he discovered a passion for medical student education.

Dr. Cook returned to academia at the University of South Carolina School of Medicine in 2012. After serving as clerkship director, chair of the Curriculum Committee, and as a teaching award recipient, he was appointed Assistant Dean of Clinical Learning in 2020.

Clinically, Dr. Cook applies his expertise in obesity medicine, establishing a specialized clinic for patients with obesity and integrating evidence-based weight management into gynecologic care. He remains active in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, including supervising resident education and clinical training.
His scholarly interests focus on medical education, obesity, health systems science, women’s health, clinical skills education, and learner development across undergraduate medical education. He has presented these topics at national conferences

Other

Institutional Service and Committee Memberships (selected)

• Chair, Curriculum Committee (2019–2021); Chair, M3/M4 Subcommittee on Curriculum (2016–2019).
• Strategic Planning Steering Committee (2017–2022); Admissions Committee (2016–2018); Core Student Assessment Committee (2016–present).
• Course/Clerkship leadership roles in Undergraduate Medical Education (2015–present).

Honors and Awards (selected)

• Clinical Teaching Award, University of South Carolina (2022).
• APGO Teaching Award, Department of OB/GYN (2019).
• Highest-Rated Speaker, APRN Regional Course (2018).

Presentations (selected)

National

• Training, Utilizing and Maintaining a Quality Pool of Diverse Standardized Patients for Clinical Skills Programs — Directors of Clinical Skills @ AAMC (workshop presenter), 2023.
• Elevating OB/Gyn Interest Groups to Meet the Professional Development Needs of Medical Students — APGO Faculty Development Conference (workshop), 2023.
• Calling All New Course Directors: Confronting Challenges & Building Relationships — Directors of Clinical Skills @ AAMC (workshop), 2022.
• Integrating Cognitive Bias into the OB/Gyn Clerkship — APGO Faculty Development Conference (workshop), 2021.

Regional/State

• ACOG District IV/VI Annual Meeting — Medical Management of Obesity, 2018.
• South Carolina Nurses Association Annual Meeting — invited talks (2016–2019).

Local/Institutional

• USC Women’s Health forums and OB/GYN departmental Grand Rounds — multiple invited talks and posters (2018–2020).

Publications (selected) 

• Wang X, Kishman EE, Liu J, Cook JW, et al. Body weight and fat trajectories of Black and White women in the first postpartum year. Obesity. 2023;31(6):1655–1665.
• Kelly K, Wilder L, Bastin J, Cook J, et al. Utility of Gynecological Teaching Associates. Cureus. 2023;15(6):e40601.
• Cook JW, Bell F, Durkin M, et al. Simulation-Based Clinical Learning in OB/GYN ultrasound scenarios. J Clin Ultrasound. 2020;48(8):457–461.
• Lane-Cordova AD, Schneider L, Tucker WC, Cook J, et al. Dietary sodium, potassium, and blood pressure in normotensive pregnant women. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. 2020;45(2):155–160.
• Cook J, Montague-Farwell E, Caudell C, et al. Perception of BMI and health issues related to overweight/obesity in an outpatient women’s clinic. Women & Health. 2020:1–7.
• Cook JW, Ferguson JD, Mayeaux EJ. Condyloma. In: The Vulva: Anatomy, Physiology, and Pathology. 2nd ed. CRC Press; 2016.