RON COHN, Ph.D.
Co-Founder, Vice President, Treasurer and Media Documentarian

Dr. Cohn shares Dr. Patterson's life-long commitment to the gorillas. He serves as an authority figure for Koko and his presence is an integral part of their daily routine. His award winning pictures and films of the gorillas have helped to make the Gorilla Foundation a well-known organization around the world.

Ron received a Ph.D. from the University of Illinois. He then became a cell biologist at the Stanford Departments of Medicine and Pediatrics and did much of the initial ground breaking research in genetic engineering and membrane structure. He also discovered that adult cells make hyaluronic acid from glucosamine and led the way for glucosamine treatment for arthritis, before turning his attention a different branch of science: psychology and interspecies communication.

 As co-founder, Ron has dedicated much of his life to the Gorilla Foundation and to the care and enrichment of gorillas Koko, Michael and Ndume.  He shares Dr. Patterson's passion for research that generates direct benefits for gorilla welfare and conservation.