Samuel H. Birdzell, former regional director of the Veteran’s Administration hospital in Omaha, died Feb. 1 at his home in Champaign, Ill. He was 91.
He served as regional director of the Omaha VA hospital from 1970 to 1977.
“Mr. Birdzell was a hospital director devoted to improving care of the veterans and also was instrumental in getting funds to build a research building at the Omaha VA,” said Rowen Zetterman, M.D., professor of medicine and associate dean for veterans affairs at the UNMC College of Medicine. “The resulting increase in research space allowed recruitment of additional physicians and scientists.”
Michael Sorrell, M.D., professor of internal medicine at UNMC, agreed.
“Mr Birdsell was one of the great administrators at the Omaha Veterans Administration Hospital,” Dr. Sorrell said. “He had the rare combination of dedicated interest in the VA system and a deep appreciation of the role of the universities in maintaining the quality care that the veteran deserves.
“He appreciated the importance of research to the VA mission and was a major supporter of building the VA research building in the 1970s.”