Clinical Center Mourns Passing of Hospital Board Chair Coots
NIH Clinical Center staff are mourning the passing of Clinical Center Research Hospital Board (CCRHB) Chair Dr. Norvell “Van” Coots. He died suddenly on June 12 at age 65 following a horse-riding accident.
Coots joined the Clinical Center board in 2021 and served as its chair for the past two years.
Known as an insightful and effective leader, 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 U.S. 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 a dynamic leader 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 multidimensional 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 Clinical Center.
Coots is survived by his wife, Claudia, and two high school-age children.