Robert Collier

Dr. Robert Elliott Collier, a pioneering, deeply committed and generous emergency medicine (EM) physician, died at home Sept. 5 at age 77 after living with Parkinson's for over 16 years.

Committing to EM when it was a brand-new specialty, Bob spent his career working in emergency departments in city hospitals - including today's Hennepin Healthcare - leaving an indelible mark on the field while mentoring a generation of EM residents.

Bob was born at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base on April 19, 1948, the first of four sons born to Irene Elliott Collier and Lt. Col. Robert Edward Collier. Bob grew up in several parts of the country as his father, an expert in rocket technology, taught and worked in aerospace engineering. From his father, Bob acquired a deep interest in science. From his mother, a political activist, Bob and his brothers learned the value of treating others with dignity and respect.

As the eldest, Bob was his brothers' mentor, supporting them in everything from relationships to finances. He taught them to ride bicycles and excel at board games, including chess - a game he taught to family, friends, neighbors and caregivers (though many learned to beat him). Bob also shared his love of music with his brothers and friends, once taking his brother David to see The Beach Boys in Tulsa, OK. By the time Bob graduated from high school, he and his family had moved eight times, including the Air Force base in Ohio, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, New Mexico, California, and Tulsa. In California and then Oklahoma, Bob shifted his athletic passion from football to running. His senior year, Bob won the Oklahoma state championship in the 220-yard and the 440-yard races. Running continued to be a passion through college and all his adult life. He loved to sprint and run 10Ks, and chalked up several marathons.

Bob obtained a B.A. in psychology in 1966 and an M.D. in 1973 from Ohio State University. He began an internal medicine residency at Kansas City General Hospital (now University Health Truman Medical Center) in Kansas City, MO, but soon learned about a new medical specialty - emergency medicine. His mentor, Dr. W. Kendall McNabney, who had run a field hospital in Vietnam, initiated the program. Bob completed his residency in EM in 1976, and with his beloved colleague Gary Landers began his EM career at North Kansas City Hospital, working there from 1976 to 1981. Between 1982 and 1988, Bob was also medical director of ambulance service in Kansas City. Between 1981 and 1992, Bob served as medical director and assistant clinical professor of emergency medicine at both Truman Medical Center and NorthKansas City Hospital. He was called in at the time of the collapse of the Hyatt Regency walkway in 1981, an experience that would prove instructive with the I-35W bridge collapse in Minneapolis in 2007.

In 1992, Bob was recruited by Dr. Ernest "Ernie" Ruiz, the founder of EM at Hennepin County Medical Center (now Hennepin Healthcare), to join the EM residency faculty in Minneapolis. Bob served as assistant professor in the EM department at the U of M in partnership with Hennepin. During his 20-year tenure, he became board certified in hyperbaric medicine and was assistant director of hyperbaric medicine at Hennepin. Over the years, Bob served as clinician, educator and mentor to countless EM residents trained at Hennepin - a hospital at the vanguard of specialized EM training. Bob dedicated three decades of leadership to the American Board of Emergency Medicine (ABEM) as item writer, editor and examiner for 41 oral board exams. He served on the ABEM board from 2004 to 2012. Among his family, friends and colleagues, Bob never pretended he had it all figured out. He often said he was as ready as he would never be when preparing for a lecture or playing the occasional classical guitar recital. Often he used his quirky sense of humor to lighten tricky situations, including once resetting his own broken arm on the way to the hospital after a fall.

In 2009, Bob was diagnosed with Parkinson's. He retired from medicine in 2012 and remained as active as possible. He continued to be an example of patience, strength and courage up to his death. Bob is survived by his wife, Helen Hansen, whom he married in Kansas City, MO, in 1979. Together they dominated every dance floor they stepped on to and shared their love of adventure. Helen, a retired associate professor of nursing at the U of M, was Bob's partner in navigating his journey though Parkinson's. He is survived by his dear children from his previous marriage to Randi Collier: Heather Dowell, Sean (Jessica) Collier and Adam (Sara) Collier; a his beloved stepdaughter: Mary (Rob) Bubacz; and four grandchildren: Olivia and Ryan, Lauren and Juliana, and Alice and Elliott. Bob is also survived by his brothers and their partners: David (Joan), Chris (Sandi) and Tom (Mare) Collier and their children and grandchildren. Bob is remembered fondly by his brother-in-law, Howard (Carla) Hansen, and his children and grandchildren.

Bob's Celebration of Life will take place at Saint Mark's Episcopal Cathedral, 519 Oak Grove Steet, Minneapolis, MN, on Oct. 4 at 12:30 p.m.