BALTIMORE , Maryland ( CNN ) -- Dr. Carnell Cooper , a Baltimore surgeon , is saving lives inside and outside the operating room . Dr. Carnell Cooper 's Violence Intervention Program provides training and support to trauma victims . Since becoming a trauma surgeon 16 years ago , he has dedicated himself to treating the many young African-American men who 've been shot , stabbed or beaten , only to see them return to the ER with another severe injury just months later . But when one of his patients was readmitted with a fatal gunshot wound to the head in 1996 , it changed Cooper 's life . `` The night that we pronounced that young man dead and my colleagues said there 's really nothing we can do in these situations . ... I just did n't believe that , '' said Cooper , 54 . `` From that day forward , I said , 'Let 's see what we can do . ' `` Cooper created the Violence Intervention Program ( VIP ) at the Shock Trauma Unit of the University of Maryland Medical Center , the state 's busiest hospital for violent injuries . It became one of the country 's first hospital-based anti-violence programs . `` We approached this problem like any public health crisis , like heart disease or smoking , '' he said . `` We tried to work on the root causes . '' Since 1998 , VIP has provided substance abuse counseling , job skills training and other support services to nearly 500 trauma victims . `` Using that scalpel blade to save their life is the first step , '' Cooper said . `` The next step is to try to keep them from coming back . '' A 2006 study by Cooper and his colleagues , published in the Journal of Trauma , showed that people in the program were six times less likely to be readmitted with a violent injury and three times less likely to be arrested for a violent crime . The issue hits close to home for Cooper . Born to unwed teenagers in Dillon , South Carolina , he grew up in a neighborhood where violent crime was commonplace ; he had friends and relatives who ended up dead or in jail . But his grandparents made sure he stayed on the right path . As a straight-A student , he attended a prestigious high school in Massachusetts , then Yale University and Duke University School of Medicine . But while Cooper rose above his circumstances , he felt sympathy for the young men who rotated in and out of his operating room . `` They could be my friends , my family , '' he said . Cooper 's program attempts to help patients from the moment they arrive because victims of violence face a greater risk of receiving another violent injury . Everyone treated for violent wounds at the hospital is seen by a VIP case worker , often at bedside . For Cooper , approaching patients at this early stage is crucial . `` We may get them in a moment when they are thinking , ' I just almost died , ' `` he said . `` We say , 'We 're going help you find a way to get out of the game . ' `` Watch Cooper talk to a victim of violence at his bedside » . VIP helps connect its members with additional support services , such as GED classes , conflict resolution , mentoring and parenting skills . A peer support group also meets at the hospital once a week . The success of Cooper 's program has made it a model for others around the country and inspired the doctor to develop a larger initiative , the Violence Prevention Program , which includes other hospital-based efforts targeting young people in at-risk communities . Howard McCray , 29 , turned his life around with help from VIP . He joined the program in 2001 after he was hospitalized with a gunshot wound to the arm . Nicknamed `` Pooh '' for his resemblance to Winnie the Pooh , McCray 's demeanor and lifestyle were once vastly different from the storybook bear 's . `` Before , I was into shooting people , robbing [ them ] , '' he recalled . `` I 've been in many gunbattles and been through the ER many times . '' Through VIP , McCray earned his GED and received job training and a driver 's license . The program also helped him learn about budgeting money and paying child support . Today , McCray is an outreach worker for VIP , visiting patients at their bedsides and encouraging them to join the program . `` I 'm a changed man , '' McCray said proudly . `` Dr. Cooper ... he saved me . '' Watch McCray describe how Cooper 's program changed his life » . Helping people like McCray inspires Cooper to continue his work . `` There are some individuals who we are not going to save , who are just immersed in the culture , but that 's not the majority of folks , '' he said . `` The majority of folks deserve a chance . '' Cooper believes it is all part of his responsibility as a doctor . `` Every physician 's goal is to save lives , '' he said . `` This is another step in that process . In my mind , it 's just what I should be doing . '' Want to get involved ? Check out the Violence Intervention Program and see how to help .
Dr. Carnell Cooper 's Violence Intervention Program helps trauma victims . The program aims to break the cycle of violence by targeting its root causes . Study : Participants are three times less likely to be arrested for a violent crime . Do you know a hero ? Nominations are open at CNN.com/Heroes .