VCU news

By Carissa Etters

Gene N. Peterson, M.D., Ph.D., associate dean for patient safety and quality care in the Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine and chief safety and quality officer for VCU Health, died Nov. 20 after a short, but aggressive battle with cancer. He was 61.

Peterson joined VCU on Oct. 2, 2013, in a role unique to academic medicine because it encompasses the traditionally separate areas of clinical work, academics and research. In his tenure, Peterson helped design and implement VCU’s vision to become a major research university that is committed to safety, quality and service in the delivery of care. He is most noted for his work integrating resident physician training with the quality and safety initiatives of the hospital and clinics. Peterson also played an integral role of standing up the Unique Pathogens Unit at VCU Medical Center during the Ebola crisis.

John Duval, vice president for clinical services and CEO, VCU Hospitals, VCU Health System, and Jerome Strauss III, M.D., Ph.D., dean of the VCU School of Medicine and executive vice president of medical affairs for VCU Health, remembered Peterson in a letter to the VCU Health and VCU communities.

He has touched thousands of lives with his care and his caring spirit.

“Dr. Peterson was a selfless leader who always challenged us to ask, ‘What is the right thing to do for our patients?’ His commitment to advancing the practice of medicine was the stuff of legend. He has touched thousands of lives with his care and his caring spirit; and, he has touched thousands more with his contributions to medicine and clinical education,” they wrote.

Peterson received a Marshall Scholarship and earned a Ph.D. in physical chemistry at the University of Leeds, United Kingdom. He graduated from the University of Chicago Medical School. He received his master’s degree in health administration from the University of Washington in Seattle. Peterson was a practicing anesthesiologist throughout his medical career.

Peterson is survived by his wife, Sarah, and their two children, Andrew and Carolyn, as well by his parents, Dorothy and Harry, and his brother Duane.

A memorial service and celebration of his life will be held at VCU Health at the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Medical Education Center, 1201 E. Marshall St., on Wednesday, Dec. 16, at 4 p.m. with reception to follow (limited valet parking available). A funeral service will be held at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 6000 Grove Ave. on Monday, Dec. 21, at 4 p.m. In lieu of flowers, the Peterson family asks that memorial donations be made to the MCV Foundation for The Rainbow Society, an employee crisis program that assists VCU Health team members in times of need. Donations should be mailed to PO Box 980275, Richmond, VA 23298. For more information, please contact Lauren Moore at 804-828-3632.