NIH Director Francis S. Collins, M.D., Ph.D., has announced the selection of Major General James K. Gilman, M.D., U.S. Army (Retired), as the inaugural chief executive officer of the NIH Clinical Center, the nation’s largest hospital devoted to clinical research. Dr. Gilman is expected to join in early January 2017.

“Dr. Gilman is a cardiologist and highly decorated leader with rich experience in commanding the operations of numerous hospital systems,” said Dr. Collins. “His medical expertise and military leadership will serve the NIH Clinical Center well as it continues to strive for world-class patient care and research excellence.”

As CEO, Dr. Gilman will oversee the day-to-day operations and management of the 200-bed, 870,000-square-foot research center on NIH’s Bethesda campus. Last year, the Clinical Center had approximately 6,000 inpatient admissions and 100,000 outpatient visits. Every patient at the Clinical Center is on a research protocol. He will guide the performance of the Clinical Center, focusing particularly on setting a high bar for patient safety and quality of care, including the development of new hospital operations policies.

Dr. Gilman served 35 years in the U.S. Army, most recently as commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command, Fort Detrick, Maryland. He led several Army hospitals during his long career—Brooke Army Medical Center, Fort Sam Houston, Texas, Walter Reed Health Care System, Washington, D.C.; and Bassett Army Community Hospital, Fort Wainwright, Alaska. He also served as Director of Health Policy and Services responsible for all aspects of professional activities and healthcare policy in the Office of the Surgeon General, U.S. Army Medical Command. Dr. Gilman has received numerous military awards and decorations, among them the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal.

Dr. Gilman holds a bachelor of science in biological engineering from Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana, and received his M.D. from Indiana University School of Medicine, Indianapolis. He completed a residency in internal medicine and a fellowship in cardiovascular diseases at Brooke Army Medical Center, where he later became Chief of Cardiology and was responsible for training cardiology fellows. He is board certified in internal medicine with a subspecialty in cardiovascular disease.

Following his retirement from the U.S. Army in 2013, Dr. Gilman served as executive director of Johns Hopkins Military & Veterans Institute in Baltimore until June 2016.