[1] Growing up, Cooperman Nadelson said her mother's clear resentment of being a housewife inspired her to pursue a career outside of the home.
[3] In spite of this, she became the first woman president of the college's Bio-Med Society, was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, and graduated magna cum laude.
[4] However, after marrying her boyfriend David Shander in 1958, who attended University of Rochester Medical Center,[4] she persuaded the faculty to accept her there the following term.
During her time at the University of Rochester, Cooperman Nadelson experienced sexual harassment by faculty and students and what she felt was a sexist dress code of skirts for women.
[7] While serving in this role, she became a founding member of the Association for Academic Psychiatry and was appointed as a consultant to the Psychiatric Education Branch of the NIMH.