In Remembrance
Royce Coleman, MD January 07, 1951 – April 14, 2025
Royce Coleman, MD, FAAEM, FACEP, a cherished physician and educator, passed away on Apr. 14, 2025, with his wife Robin by his side. Renowned for his extraordinary skills and compassion, Dr. Coleman left an enduring legacy in the lives of countless patients, students, colleagues and community members through his kindness, expertise and unwavering dedication to healing.
Royce was born on Jan. 7, 1951, in Bavaria, Germany. His father was a career Air Force serviceman, who as a POW survived the 65-mile Death March from Bataan to Camp O’ Donnell in April 1942. Royce’ s stock is no coincidence. Elbert Coleman instilled in his son Royce an intense sense of compassion.“ As a twig is bent, so shall it grow.”
When Dr. Coleman met the love of his life in Texas, his partner and best friend, Robin Vance Coleman, MD, they married. Fifty-three amazing years followed sharing life’ s adventures and their careers in emergency medicine.
Dr. Coleman’ s distinguished tenure at the University of Louisville School of Medicine was defined by his remarkable contributions to medical education. As Medical Director of the Emergency Department, he was fiercely passionate about the quality of care provided under his watch. Dr. Coleman taught the yin and yang of emergency medicine, shaping the next generation of physicians with his profound knowledge and heartfelt approach. His teaching stretched beyond clinical skills. He instilled in his students the importance of empathy, quick thinking and patient-centered care under the intense pressures of the emergency department.
One of Royce’ s favorite teaching aphorisms was that providers must sense for some“ difficult” patients that this could be the worst day of their life. Another was that in the chaos of the ED, patients won’ t remember what you said – but will remember how you made them feel.
Dr. Coleman’ s mentorship inspired hundreds of young doctors to carry forward his commitment to excellence and humanity in medicine. He served as a beacon of hope for patients, combining his expertise in emergency care with a warmth that made everyone feel valued and understood. Royce’ s work in the community extended to advocating for better access to emergency services, leaving a lasting impact on Louisville’ s health care landscape.
Royce’ s students, residents and colleagues called him many things: mentor, teacher, friend, legend, icon, among others. As a resident you had to be at the top of your game when working a shift with him. He was the emergency physician you wanted to emulate and not disappoint. While at times the yang feedback was stern, it clearly came with the expectation that patients would receive the exceptional care they deserved.
Anyone who was fortunate enough to work with him is a better physician for having done so. To quote a former resident,“ Dr. Coleman taught me how to stay steady in chaos and lead with compassion. His wisdom, sly humor, ever present patience and quiet strength helped shape the physician
Dr. Coleman had been a member of GLMS since 1993.
I became.” Another resident evaluation simply stated that“ He is a living example of The Golden Rule, and I value that reminder.” Even after he retired from clinical medicine, he remained active in mentoring residents, doing chart reviews, practicing oral board cases and sharing wisdom whenever he could.
As someone who got to work with Royce in the office, we will never forget the gifts he brought to everyone from his travels. One morning, when we walked into the office, we each found a note taped to our workstation. He led every staff member on a scavenger hunt for their thoughtful“ vacation treasure.” He must have spent all night hiding those little notes. His kindness and generosity were only superseded by his desire to provide the best care possible for his patients. Every decision Royce made, even if it was unpopular, was to improve patient and family care.
One of Royce’ s last emails to a former resident sums up the amazing qualities that Royce possessed and the expectations he had.“ One of the very best things about a career as an educator, is the feedback from those remarkably capable brains and souls. Being a learner in any form is a challenge, and much more so when learning in a situation of demanding expectations and general chaos. As a resident many years ago, I clearly remember asking myself can I actually achieve the results that every patient deserves to have, given my own personal limitations. Somehow we do, and that speaks clearly about the heart and soul of the people we chose, and those that choose, to become physicians. Long hours, high demand and certainly lots of high standards, require our best efforts. We are in a humbling profession, and I am confident you will continue to give the best.”
Royce will be sorely missed by his beloved wife Robin, and his numerous friends and family( both human and four legged). Dr. Coleman’ s legacy of compassion, education and service will live on in the hearts of his students, patients and all who had the privilege of knowing him. Pulmonary fibrosis might have won in the end but all of us who were touched by Royce sometime during his 74 years of his full life were the real winners.
Robert Louis Stevenson in his“ Eulogy of a Doctor” mused that“ there are those that stand above the common herd of the soldier, the sailor, the shepherd and not infrequently the artist, the physician almost as a rule. He brings air and cheer into the sick room and often enough, though not so often as desired, brings healing.” Royce certainly stood above the common herd, and brought way more than his fair share of healing.
Breathe easy Royce.
-Adam Ross, MD: Medical Director of the ED at University of Louisville Hospital
-Ashlee Melendez: Executive Director Department of Emergency Medicine University of Louisville
-Dan Danzl, MD: Professor and Emeritus Chair Department of Emergency Medicine
July 2025 31