University of Virginia Health System

Former U.Va. Internal Medicine Chief Dies

Hook was internationally known for his research in infectious diseases, especially in the areas of salmonella and influenza. During his 21-year tenure as department chairman, he recruited numerous faculty members to U.Va. and trained hundreds of specialists in internal medicine. Also known for his compassionate approach to patient care, Hook established U.Va.'s Humanities in Medicine Program, a series of elective classes for medical students designed to deepen students' interest in the human dimensions of medicine. In 1996, Hook received the Thomas Jefferson Award, U.Va.'s highest distinction.

Dr. Hook was one of the most remarkable physician leaders in this country, said Dr. Robert M. Carey, dean of the U.Va. School of Medicine. He had a major positive impact on the fields of infectious disease, internal medicine and humanities in medicine. His influence pervades and enriches our institution in virtually every endeavor. Most importantly, he cared about each patient, each student, each resident in postdoctoral training and each member of the faculty and staff. His loss will be felt deeply and personally, as well as professionally.

Before coming to U.Va. in 1969, Hook was professor and vice chairman of medicine at Cornell University Medical College. Prior to that, he served on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and at Emory University School of Medicine, where he earned his M.D. degree. Hook wrote more than one hundred articles on his research for peer-reviewed publications.

During his career, Hook served as president of several national medical organizations, including the American College of Physicians, the Infectious Diseases Society of America, and the American Clinical and Climatological Association. He was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences and also served on the American Board of Internal Medicine. A former chairman of the board of directors of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation's Clinical Scholars Program, he also served on the U.S.-Japan Cooperative Medical Science Committee for more than a decade.

For more than 20 years, Dr. Hook provided distinguished leadership for the Department of Internal Medicine, recruiting outstanding division leaders and initiating programs that served as models for health care institutions across the nation, said Dr. Robert W. Cantrell, vice president and provost for health sciences at the University of Virginia. He will be sorely missed.

October 12, 1998