In Memoriam: Robert J. Cotter, Ph.D.

Dear Colleagues,

We mourn the sudden and unexpected loss of our friend and colleague Robert J. Cotter, Ph.D., who passed away of an apparent heart attack this past Monday evening, Nov. 12, at the age of 69. Bob was a distinguished scholar, teacher and program builder in the Department of Pharmacology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and one of the leading mass spectrometrists of his generation.

Born and raised in Massachusetts and a graduate of the College of Holy Cross in 1965, Bob obtained his Ph.D. from Hopkins in Chemistry in 1972 working with Walter Koski on the physical chemistry of ion interactions. After short stints teaching at Towson St. University and at Gettysburg College, Bob came back to Hopkins as a Research Associate in 1978 joining the group of his future wife, Catherine Cotter, in Pharmacology.

Bob rose through the ranks to become Professor in the Department of Pharmacology in 1992 where he has continued until his untimely passing. Bob and his research team have made major contributions to the development of methods and their applications in the area of mass spectrometry. These contributions include the invention of a widely used time of flight curved-field reflectron for ion separation, the development of miniaturized mass spectrometers for use in environmental surveys and space travel, and the creation of a technique to quantify acetylation in proteins. Bob has been an institutional resource at Hopkins and beyond for dozens of collaborators in the area of mass spectrometry leading to major discoveries in cancer, immune disorders, infectious diseases, and metabolic syndromes. A former president of the American Society for Mass Spectrometry and a recipient of the Franklin and Field Medal of the American Chemical Society for his seminal contributions to mass spectrometry, Bob has trained a legion of outstanding students and post-docs that now occupy leading positions throughout the world.

In addition to his beloved wife Catherine, Bob is survived by his mother, five siblings, three children, and four grandchildren. Among his many interests Bob loved to bike and hike on the C&O Canal towpath. 

A Hopkins memorial service is being planned for a future date. Details will be forthcoming.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to the C & O Canal Association, P.O. Box 366, Glen Echo, MD 20812. or online at candocanal.org/.

Sincerely,

Paul B. Rothman, M.D.
Dean of the Medical Faculty
CEO, Johns Hopkins Medicine