Dr. Sam Stratton Appointed Medical Director for EMS Safety
EMS Safety has a new Medical Director! As a board-certified Emergency Medicine Physician, Dr. Stratton is committed to improving survival of sudden cardiac arrest. He’s soon to retire from his role as the Deputy Health Officer and Medical Director of Health Disaster Management and the Emergency Medical Services for the Orange County Health Care Agency in California. Dr. Stratton is also a professor at UCLA, editor-in-chief of Prehospital and Disaster Medicine (Cambridge University Press), and the former Medical Advisor to the Redondo Beach Fire Department.
We are more than pleased to have Dr. Stratton, with his experience, knowledge and passion, focused on helping EMS Safety’s Instructors and students get the most out of emergency care training. We asked Dr. Stratton to tell us a little bit about himself and his new role as EMS Safety’s Medical Director.
Tell us about yourself. What should we know that is not in your resume?
My wife and I live in Huntington Beach, California. I’m an avid reader and prefer literary classics of all types, but particularly Steinbeck, Hemingway, and Vonnegut. I enjoy peer reviewing medical and disaster research papers for medical journals (strange hobby) and am also an avid amateur watercolor artist and HAM radio operator.
Share your thoughts on CPR, AED and First Aid training for citizen rescuers.
Everyone should have the opportunity to learn CPR and AED skills. In my career as an Emergency Physician, I‘ve come to learn that the response of the bystander to medical emergencies, particularly cardiac arrest, is the major predictor of survival with good neurological outcome. I’m a strong advocate for CPR training programs in schools, the workplace, church, and community sites. I have also advocated for widespread deployment of AEDs in workplace and community settings. As an EMS system Medical Director, I’ve reviewed many total saves of human life with return to good function that occurred because of bystander CPR and use of an AED.
What is your role as EMS Safety’s Medical Director?
As Medical Director at EMS Safety, I am responsible for ensuring that the programs offered adhere to the most current and highest of medical scientific standards. I work with EMS Safety staff to address medical questions concerning health emergencies and ensure that the medical aspects of the EMS Safety programs and training meet current medical standards. I also rely on my experience in EMS and Emergency Medicine to advise and participate in the development of new and on-going programs.
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