James K. Gilman, MD, a cardiologist and retired major general of the U.S. Army, has been hired as the inaugural CEO of the National Institutes for Health (NIH) Clinical Center.

Gilman is expected to assume his responsibilities in early January, according to a Dec. 9 news release. John Gallin, MD, the director of the NIH Clinical Center, will become the NIH associate director for clinical research and the chief scientific officer.

The NIH Clinical Center is the nation’s largest hospital devoted to clinical research with 200 beds in a 870,000 square foot research center at NIH’s campus in Bethesda, Maryland. In 2015, the center had approximately 6,000 inpatient admissions and 100,000 outpatient visits, according to the news release. The first patient was admitted to the center in July 1953.

Gilman, who served for 35 years in the U.S. Army before retiring in 2013, was most recently the commanding general of the U.S. Army Medical Research and Materiel Command in Fort Detrick, Maryland. He also led several Army hospitals and received numerous military awards, including the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit and Meritorious Service Medal.

Earlier in his career, Gilman was the chief of cardiology and trained cardiology fellows at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. After retiring from the U.S. Army, Gilman served as executive director of the Johns Hopkins Military & Veterans Institute in Baltimore until leaving in June.

“Dr. Gilman is a cardiologist and highly decorated leader with rich experience in commanding the operations of numerous hospital systems,” NIH director Francis S. Collins, MD, PhD, said in a news release. “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.”