Helen J. Cooke

Helen Joan Cooke (May 22, 1943 – December 27, 2021) was an American gastroenterologist who was a professor at Ohio State University. She studied intestinal mucosa and pioneered the field of neurobiology. Throughout her career, Cooke campaigned to support women and early career researchers.

Early life and education Cooke was born outside Sunderland, Massachusetts, and grew up in a farming town. She was determined to explore the world, and decided to do so through academia. The enteric nervous system describes the intrinsic nerves within the gut, and consists of two neural plexuses that contain myenteric and submucosal ganglia.