Dr. Cochran studies the pathology of the skin with a focus on diseases and tumors of the melanocytes: nevi and melanomas, as well as the pathology of diseases of the lung. His research interests include the elucidation of mechanisms of metastasis as a basis for the development of new and better approaches to the prevention and treatment of metastases in melanoma.

Dr. Cochran, an international scholar, developed the concepts that lead to the highly successful and popular techniques of lymphatic mapping and sentinel node dissection. His other interests include techniques for the assessment of prognosis for melanoma patients on an individual basis.