James Stray-Gundersen, M.D.

Dr. Stray-Gundersen is a staff physician at Cooper Clinic. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in zoology and chemistry (1974). He earned his medical degree in 1977 and completed his internship and residency in general surgery in 1982 at Loyola University Medical Center in Maywood, Ill. Upon completing his surgical training, he took post-doctoral fellowships in cardiovascular physiology and human nutrition at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas. He subsequently joined the faculty at UT Southwestern in the Departments of Surgery and Medicine. Dr. Stray-Gundersen is certified by the American Board of General Surgery and he holds fellowship status with the American College of Sports Medicine. Sports medicine and sports science are Dr. Stray-Gundersen's areas of expertise.

Dr. Stray-Gundersen has functioned as a physiologist and physician in three Winter Olympic Games and numerous World Champion Events, in addition to working with various national sporting teams. His research interests have been in the area of human performance and he is the world leader in the area of altitude training for sport performance. He produced the original work on the use and effects of altitude training, "Live High, Train Low." He also has been heavily involved in anti-doping work and developed the SAFE program (Safe and Fair Events) for international sport currently used by the International Skating Union.