Dr. Matthew Cooperberg

Dr. Matthew Cooperberg is a specialist in cancers of the genital and urinary organs. In addition to diagnosing and managing these cancers, his expertise includes using minimally invasive techniques to treat both benign and malignant conditions. Dedicated to harnessing advanced technologies, he performs robotic, laparoscopic, endoscopic and percutaneous surgeries. At the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, he serves as co-director of the Prostate Program. He is also chief of urology at the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center.


Cooperberg studies the challenges of prostate cancer care from many interrelated angles, ranging from molecular analyses of tumor cells to studies looking at the entire health care system. In 2013, he co-authored a proposal for a national urology registry (a database for information on people affected by a disease, with the goal of improving care); this served as the basis for the American Urological Association Quality (AQUA) Registry, a project for which he now continues to serve as Senior Physician Adviser. In 2016, the National Cancer Institute awarded him a grant as principal investigator on a study to refine prostate cancer prognosis by developing and validating novel microRNA-based biomarker signatures (combinations of molecular-level disease indicators).


Cooperberg graduated summa cum laude from Dartmouth College with a degree in English. He earned his medical degree and a master of public health degree at the Yale School of Medicine. He then completed a residency in urology, followed by a fellowship in urologic oncology, at UCSF.


Cooperberg is a member of the American Urological Association (AUA), Western Section of the AUA and American College of Surgeons. He has written or contributed to over 400 research articles; written nine book chapters; and lectured nationally and internationally on urologic disease, with a particular focus on prostate cancer. In 2015, the AUA honored him with the Gold Cystoscope Award, given annually for distinguished contributions to the field of urology. He holds faculty appointments in UCSF's Department of Urology and Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics.