NIH Clinical Center staff are mourning the passing of Clinical Center Research Hospital Board (CCRHB) Chair Dr. Norvell "Van" Coots.
Coots died suddenly at age 65 in June following a horse-riding accident.
He joined the Clinical Center board in 2021 and served as its chair for the past two years.
Known as an insightful and effective leader, Dr. Coots earned his medical degree at the University of Oklahoma Health Science Center and went on to forge a distinguished 36-year career as a U.S. Army officer.
He reached the rank of brigadier general and oversaw key medical care missions for the Army, including serving as commanding general of Regional Health Command Europe and as the command surgeon for the US Army Europe and 7th Army, among other posts.
Following his retirement from military service, Coots led Holy Cross Health in Silver Spring, Md., for seven years before stepping down earlier this year.
Clinical Center CEO Dr. James Gilman described Coots as dynamic leader of the Clinical Center Research Hospital Board and one who will be missed.
"As CCRHB chair, his board meetings were lively and energetic. He kept board members engaged and interested," Gilman wrote in a memo to staff.
"The NIH Clinical Center lost a true multi-dimensional friend last week," Gilman added. "But Van would be among the first to remind us that the Clinical Center mission goes on and is larger than any single leader."
"We honor his legacy by continuing the pursuit of excellence in providing care to the patients, our partners in the clinical research enterprise."
The CCRHB was established in 2016 to oversee efforts to fortify a culture and practice of safety and quality and strengthen leadership for clinical care quality, oversight and compliance at the NIH Clinical Center.
Coots is survived by his wife, Claudia, and two high-school-age children.
- Sean Markey
Also read the: Statement from the CEO: The NIH Clinical Center Remembers