David Persse, Houston’s former chief medical officer who helped lead the city’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, died Saturday at 66.
Persse suffered a severe spinal injury while swimming off Hermosa Beach, California, over the weekend, according to a Monday social media post from the Houston Fire Department. He was pulled from the water in cardiac arrest and resuscitated by bystanders and Los Angeles County first responders before being hospitalized, but died at the hospital.
For 30 years, Persse served as one of the city’s leading medical officials, helping the city respond to emergencies including natural disasters and Ebola. During COVID-19, Persse became Houston’s lead medical adviser, helping guide its response to the virus.
He retired from the position in April.
“His service to Houston and the Houston Health Department made a lasting difference in the lives of countless people, and his legacy will continue to be felt throughout our community,” Mayor John Whitmire said in a statement. “I am grateful for his many years of service to our city and for the example he set for those who followed him.”
Fire Chief Thomas Muñoz called Persse a “teacher, a mentor and a trusted friend,” as well as a “pioneer.”
“For more than 30 years, he helped shape the way our firefighters and paramedics care for people on the worst days of their lives,” Muñoz said. “His legacy isn’t just found in the programs he helped build, but in the thousands of HFD members he taught and the countless patients who received better care because of his life’s work.”
Persse started his career in medicine as a field paramedic and paramedic instructor in upstate New York and New Jersey. He attended Georgetown University School of Medicine and completed residency training in emergency medicine at Harbor-UCLA Medical Center in Torrance, California.
After completing a research fellowship at Ohio State University, Persse moved to Houston for another fellowship at the Baylor College of Medicine. He then became the assistant medical director for city’s Emergency Medical Services System.
He returned to California to work with Los Angeles County, but later moved back to Houston after he was appointed the city’s director of emergency medical services. In 2004, he was appointed Houston’s public health authority.
Claire Bassett, chief communications officer at Baylor College of Medicine, said the first person she always called whenever there was an emergency in Houston was Persse.
“He was a partner, always looking out for the good of every person,” Bassett said in a statement. “From caring for Hurricane Katrina victims from New Orleans to Ike and all through the pandemic, he was a steady source of wisdom and resolve. He will be missed and remembered.”