Joseph V. Sakran | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 3, 1977 |
| Citizenship | American |
| Education | George Mason University (BS) Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health (MPH) Harvard University (MPA) Ben-Gurion University (MD) |
| Occupation(s) | Trauma surgeon, gun violence prevention advocate |
| Medical career | |
| Field | Surgery, Public Health, Gun Violence Prevention, Healthcare Policy |
| Website | Official profile |
Joseph V. Sakran is an American trauma surgeon, public health researcher, gun control advocate and activist. Sakran was shot in the throat at the age of 17. [1] He is currently an associate professor of surgery at the Johns Hopkins University, director of Emergency General Surgery at Johns Hopkins Hospital, and vice chair of Clinical Operations. He also serves as the Associate Chief for the Division of Acute Care Surgery. [2]
In early 2020, Sakran staged a photo threat of a clipart style hand holding a gun and claimed someone hunted him down, Sakran staged this photo to create outrage in an effort to gain sympathy and attention to further his activism. [3]
Sakran was born in Falls Church, Virginia to immigrant parents. [4] He attended high school in Burke, Virginia. As a high school senior, at a local playground after attending a football game at Lake Braddock Secondary School, he was struck in the neck from a stray bullet fired into a crowd. With his windpipe ruptured and carotid artery severed, he was saved by trauma surgeon Dr. Robert Ahmed and vascular surgeon Dr. Dipankar Mukherjee at Inova Fairfax Hospital. [4] He attended George Mason University and gained experience as a medic and firefighter at the City of Fairfax Fire & Rescue Department. [5]
Sakran earned an undergraduate degree in biology and minor in chemistry from George Mason University in 1999. He graduated with a Doctor of Medicine from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Medical School for International Health in 2005 and earned a Master of Public health from the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health in 2003. He also holds a Master of Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School of Government. [6] [7] [8] He completed his general surgery residency training at Inova Fairfax Hospital and then fellowship at the University of Pennsylvania in Traumatology, Surgical Critical Care, and Emergency General Surgery. [9] [8]
Sakran was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. [10]
In 2016, Sakran's activism first achieved national recognition when he founded Doctors for Hillary, supporting the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, who had made gun control a central tenet of her campaign. He was recognized by Secretary Clinton for his work. [11]
His research in public health and specifically firearm injury prevention has been recognized by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and Academy Health. A recent study published in Health Affairs, Emergency Department Visits for Firearm-Related Injuries in the United States, 2006-14 was given an honorable mention as one of the 2017 Outstanding Article of the Year Award by Health Cost and Utilization Project (HCUP). [12]
Sakran has also written numerous opinion pieces for The Atlantic and CNN. [13] [14] [15] [16] [17] In February 2019, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), invited Sakran as his guest to the State of the Union, recognizing his support for gun control as a trauma surgeon. [18] On February 6, 2019, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee invited Sakran to testify at a hearing. [19]
In 2019, Sakran was also selected for the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, where his project focused on storage of firearms. [20] In the same year, Sakran was selected as one of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows by the National Academy of Medicine. He is currently[ when? ] working on legislative and regulatory issues. [21] [22]