Joseph Sakran

Last updated

Joseph V. Sakran
Born (1977-08-03) August 3, 1977 (age 46)
Falls Church, Virginia
CitizenshipAmerican
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
FieldSurgery, Public Health, Gun Violence Prevention, Healthcare Policy
Website Official profile

Joseph V. Sakran is an American trauma surgeon, public health researcher, gun violence prevention advocate and activist. His career in medicine and trauma surgery was sparked after nearly being killed at the age of 17 when he was shot in the throat. [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]

Contents

Early life, education, and career

Sakran was born in Falls Church, Virginia to immigrant parents. [3] 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. [3] Dedicating himself to become a surgeon while still in recovery, he attended George Mason University and gained experience as a medic and firefighter at the City of Fairfax Fire & Rescue Department. [4]

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. [5] [6] [7] 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. [8] [7]

Sakran was elected to the National Academy of Medicine in 2023. [9]

Advocacy

In 2016, Sakran's activism first achieved national recognition when he founded Doctors for Hillary, supporting the candidacy of Hillary Clinton, who had made reduction of gun violence in America a central tenet of her campaign. He was recognized by Secretary Clinton for his work in fighting to end gun violence. [10]

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). [11]

On November 7, 2018 the National Rifle Association of America's comment telling doctors to "stay in their lane" [12] resulted in Sakran responding on Twitter, telling them that "As a Trauma Surgeon and survivor of #GunViolence I cannot believe the audacity of the @NRA to make such a divisive statement. We take care of these patients every day. Where are you when I’m having to tell all those families their loved one has died". [13] The tweet went viral and resulted in a robust response from healthcare professionals. A few days later Sakran established the Twitter account @ThisIsOurLane as a way to unite the medical community who care for gun violence victims. [14] [15] [16]

Sakran has also written numerous opinion pieces for The Atlantic and CNN. [17] [18] [19] [20] [21] He was also interviewed on NPR by Terry Gross, the host and co-executive producer of Fresh Air, on November 28, 2018. [22]

In February 2019, Congressman Mike Thompson (D-CA), Chairman of the Gun Violence Prevention Task Force invited Sakran as his guest to the State of the Union, recognizing his commitment to ending gun violence as both a survivor and now trauma surgeon. [23]

On February 6, 2019, Congressman Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee invited Sakran to testify at the hearing on Preventing Gun Violence. [24]

In 2019, Sakran was also selected for the Presidential Leadership Scholars program, where his project focused on safe storage of firearms. [25] 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 working on health-related legislative and regulatory issues. [26] [27]

In early 2020, Sakran tweeted a photo of a flyer showing a clipart style hand holding a gun, which was a flyer left under his windshield wiper. [28]

Media

Selected publications

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun control</span> Laws or policies that regulate firearms

Gun control, or firearms regulation, is the set of laws or policies that regulate the manufacture, sale, transfer, possession, modification, or use of firearms by civilians.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Surgery</span> Medical procedures that involve incisive or invasive instruments into body cavities

Surgery is a medical specialty that uses manual and/or instrumental techniques to physically reach into a subject's body in order to investigate or treat pathological conditions such as a disease or injury, to alter bodily functions, to improve appearance, or to remove/replace unwanted tissues or foreign bodies. The subject receiving the surgery is typically a person, but can also be a non-human animal.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Emergency department</span> Medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine

An emergency department (ED), also known as an accident and emergency department (A&E), emergency room (ER), emergency ward (EW) or casualty department, is a medical treatment facility specializing in emergency medicine, the acute care of patients who present without prior appointment; either by their own means or by that of an ambulance. The emergency department is usually found in a hospital or other primary care center.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Compartment syndrome</span> Condition in which increased pressure results in insufficient blood supply

Compartment syndrome is a condition in which increased pressure within one of the body's anatomical compartments results in insufficient blood supply to tissue within that space. There are two main types: acute and chronic. Compartments of the leg or arm are most commonly involved.

Arthur L. Kellermann is an American physician and epidemiologist. Until his resignation in November 2022, he served as a professor of emergency medicine at the VCU School of Medicine, senior vice president of health sciences for Virginia Commonwealth University, and CEO of the VCU Health System. He was formerly professor and dean of the F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine at the Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences. Kellerman served as director of the RAND Institute of Health and founded the department of emergency medicine at Emory University and the Center for Injury Control at Rollins School of Public Health. His writings include 200 publications on various aspects of emergency cardiac care, health services research, injury prevention and the role of emergency departments in providing health care to the poor. Kellermann is known for his research on the epidemiology of firearm-related injuries and deaths, which he interpreted not as random, unavoidable acts but as preventable public-health priorities. Kellermann and his research have been strongly disputed by gun rights organizations, in particular by the National Rifle Association of America, although Kellermann's findings have been supported by a large body of peer-reviewed research finding that increasing gun ownership is associated with increased rates of homicide and violence.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Major trauma</span> Injury that could cause prolonged disability or death

Major trauma is any injury that has the potential to cause prolonged disability or death. There are many causes of major trauma, blunt and penetrating, including falls, motor vehicle collisions, stabbing wounds, and gunshot wounds. Depending on the severity of injury, quickness of management, and transportation to an appropriate medical facility may be necessary to prevent loss of life or limb. The initial assessment is critical, and involves a physical evaluation and also may include the use of imaging tools to determine the types of injuries accurately and to formulate a course of treatment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun violence in the United States</span> Phenomenon of gun violence in the United States

Gun violence is a term of political, economic and sociological interest referring to the tens of thousands of annual firearms-related deaths and injuries occurring in the United States. In 2022, up to 100 daily fatalities and hundreds of daily injuries were attributable to American gun violence. In 2018, the most recent year for which data are available, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics reported 38,390 deaths by firearm, of which 24,432 were suicides. The national rate of firearm deaths rose from 10.3 people for every 100,000 in 1999 to 11.9 people per 100,000 in 2018, equating to over 109 daily deaths. In 2010, there were 19,392 firearm-related suicides, and 11,078 firearm-related homicides in the U.S. In 2010, 358 murders were reported involving a rifle while 6,009 were reported involving a handgun; another 1,939 were reported with an unspecified type of firearm. In 2011, a total of 478,400 fatal and nonfatal violent crimes were committed with a firearm.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gun violence</span> Method of violence

Gun-related violence is violence committed with the use of a firearm. Gun-related violence may or may not be considered criminal. Criminal violence includes homicide, assault with a deadly weapon, and suicide, or attempted suicide, depending on jurisdiction. Non-criminal violence includes accidental or unintentional injury and death. Also generally included in gun violence statistics are military or para-military activities.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gunshot wound</span> Injury caused by a bullet

A gunshot wound (GSW) is a penetrating injury caused by a projectile from a gun. Damages may include bleeding, bone fractures, organ damage, wound infection, loss of the ability to move part of the body, and in severe cases, death. Damage depends on the part of the body hit, the path the bullet follows through the body, and the type and speed of the bullet. Long-term complications can include bowel obstruction, failure to thrive, neurogenic bladder and paralysis, recurrent cardiorespiratory distress and pneumothorax, hypoxic brain injury leading to early dementia, amputations, chronic pain and pain with light touch (hyperalgesia), deep venous thrombosis with pulmonary embolus, limb swelling and debility, and lead poisoning.

An exploratory laparotomy is a general surgical operation where the abdomen is opened and the abdominal organs are examined for injury or disease. It is the standard of care in various blunt and penetrating trauma situations in which there may be life-threatening internal injuries. It is also used in certain diagnostic situations, in which the operation is undertaken in search of a unifying cause for multiple signs and symptoms of disease, and in the staging of some cancers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Peter M. Rhee</span> American surgeon

Peter Meong Rhee is an American surgeon, medical professor, and military veteran. During his 24 years in the United States Navy, Rhee served as a battlefield casualty physician in Afghanistan and Iraq.

Trauma surgery is a surgical specialty that utilizes both operative and non-operative management to treat traumatic injuries, typically in an acute setting. Trauma surgeons generally complete residency training in general surgery and often fellowship training in trauma or surgical critical care. The trauma surgeon is responsible for initially resuscitating and stabilizing and later evaluating and managing the patient. The attending trauma surgeon also leads the trauma team, which typically includes nurses and support staff, as well as resident physicians in teaching hospitals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Stab wound</span> Medical condition

A stab wound is a specific form of penetrating trauma to the skin that results from a knife or a similar pointed object. While stab wounds are typically known to be caused by knives, they can also occur from a variety of implements, including broken bottles and ice picks. Most stabbings occur because of intentional violence or through self-infliction. The treatment is dependent on many different variables such as the anatomical location and the severity of the injury. Even though stab wounds are inflicted at a much greater rate than gunshot wounds, they account for less than 10% of all penetrating trauma deaths.

The Dickey Amendment is a provision first inserted as a rider into the 1997 omnibus spending bill of the United States federal government that mandated that "none of the funds made available for injury prevention and control at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) may be used to advocate or promote gun control." In the same spending bill, Congress earmarked $2.6 million from the CDC's budget, the exact amount that had previously been allocated to the agency for firearms research the previous year, for traumatic brain injury-related research.

A child access prevention law makes it illegal for an adult to keep a gun in a place and manner so that a child can easily access and fire it. Proponents of these laws, such as the Law Center to Prevent Gun Violence in the United States, argue that they are effective at reducing accidental gun deaths among children, since they reduce accessibility and thereby risk. The National Rifle Association of America has lobbied against such laws, arguing that they are ineffective and infringe on the rights of gun owners to protect their homes.

Jonathan P Shepherd CBE FRCS FFPH FRCPsych FMedSci FLSW is a Welsh surgeon, criminologist and professor at Cardiff University's Crime and Security Research Institute which he co-founded in 2015. He also founded the University's Violence Research Group. He has initiated UK public service reforms and other measures to strengthen the evidence foundations on which these services are based. These include new professional bodies for policing, probation and teaching; the UK What Works Centres and What Works Council; new university police research centres in England and Wales; and a new police research funding scheme.

Olive Chifefe Kobusingye is a Ugandan consultant trauma surgeon, emergency surgeon, accident injury epidemiologist and academic, who serves as a Senior Research Fellow at both Makerere University School of Public Health and the Institute for Social and Health Sciences of the University of South Africa. She heads the Trauma, Injury, & Disability (TRIAD) Project at Makerere University School of Public Health, where she coordinates the TRIAD graduate courses.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hasan B. Alam</span> Pakistani-American surgeon

Hasan Badre Alam is a trauma surgeon, surgeon-scientist, and a medical professor in the United States. He is the Loyal and Edith Davis Professor of Surgery, the Chairman of Department of Surgery at the Feinberg School of Medicine (FSM)/Northwestern University, and the Surgeon-in-Chief at Northwestern Memorial Hospital (NMH) in Chicago.

LJ Punch is an American critical care surgeon, an associate professor of surgery, and a scholar within the Institute for Public Health at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Missouri. Punch is also an activist in the fight against gun violence and directs StopTheBleedSTL, located at "The T" anti-violence center in St. Louis, which runs programs to educate the community on how to reduce the impact of trauma, injury, and violence in St. Louis. As a physician, educator, and activist, Punch aims to propagate the idea of “Radical Generosity” as means to better his community and the lives of those around him.

Brian H. Williams is an American surgeon and Professor of Trauma Surgery at the University of Chicago. He specialises in acute surgery and critical care. Alongside his work as a clinician, Williams looks to end racial inequities in healthcare and end the American epidemic of gun violence.

References

  1. ↑ Flynn, Meagan (November 14, 2018). "Shot in the neck at 17, this is the trauma surgeon now leading doctors against gun violence and the NRA". The Washington Post. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  2. ↑ "Joseph Sakran". Johns Hopkins Medicine. Retrieved October 10, 2023.
  3. 1 2 Court, Emma (October 5, 2017). "This trauma surgeon, who was shot as a teenager, wants you to know gun violence happens every day". MarketWatch. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  4. ↑ Hobbs, Bonnie (October 15, 2018). "You Must Respect and Honor Human Life". Fairfax Connection. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  5. ↑ Pelisek, Christine (September 29, 2017). "Trauma Surgeon Shot in Throat at 17 Now Saves Other Victims' Lives — and Fights Against Gun Violence". People Magazine. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  6. ↑ "MSIH Alum, Dr. Joseph Sakran, speaks on the epidemic of Gun Violence in America". msih.bgu.ac.il. November 10, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  7. 1 2 Gross, Terry (November 28, 2018). "A Trauma Surgeon Who Survived Gun Violence Is Taking On The NRA". National Public Radio. Archived from the original on November 28, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  8. ↑ Flynn, Meagan (November 14, 2018). "Shot in the neck at 17, this is the trauma surgeon now leading doctors against gun violence and the NRA". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on November 14, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  9. ↑ "National Academy of Medicine Elects 100 New Members". National Academy of Medicine. October 9, 2023. Retrieved October 9, 2023.
  10. ↑ "Hillary Clinton". Twitter. January 3, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  11. ↑ "Archive of Recipients". HCUP Outstanding Article of the Year Awards. Archived from the original on August 2, 2023. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  12. ↑ "NRA". Twitter. November 7, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Joseph Sakran". Twitter. November 7, 2018. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  14. ↑ "2014 Resident Volunteer Award: Joseph V. Sakran". facs.org. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  15. ↑ George, Justin (November 27, 2016). "Trauma surgeon who survived shooting fights against gun violence" . The Baltimore Sun. Archived from the original on November 27, 2016. Retrieved January 2, 2019.
  16. ↑ Haag, Matthew (November 13, 2018). "Doctors Revolt After N.R.A. Tells Them to 'Stay in Their Lane' on Gun Policy". The New York Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2018. Retrieved January 2, 2019.(subscription required)
  17. ↑ Sakran, Joseph; Sathya, Chethan (August 29, 2017). "Covid-19 is removing crucial voices from patients' bedsides". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  18. ↑ Volsky, Igor; Sakran, Joseph (November 12, 2018). "How to end the scourge of gun violence? Open dialogue". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  19. ↑ Sakran, Joseph (March 18, 2019). "Dear NRA, of course doctors are part of the solution". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  20. ↑ Volsky, Igor; Sakran, Joseph (April 8, 2020). "Unlike US, New Zealand isn't just offering thoughts and prayers". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  21. ↑ Volsky, Igor; Sakran, Joseph (March 19, 2020). "Buying a gun isn't the answer to coronavirus". CNN. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  22. ↑ Gross, Terry (November 28, 2018). "A Trauma Surgeon Who Survived Gun Violence Is Taking On The NRA". NPR. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  23. ↑ "Chairman Thompson to Bring Gun Violence Survivor and Prevention Advocate to State of the Union". US House of Representatives (Mike Thompson). February 4, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  24. ↑ "Preventing Gun Violence: A Call to Action". House Judiciary. February 6, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  25. ↑ "2019 Class of Presidential Leadership Scholars Announced". Presidential Leadership Scholars. January 31, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  26. ↑ "Joseph Sakran named a Robert Wood Foundation Health Policy Fellow". The Johns Hopkins University. August 29, 2019. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  27. ↑ "Joseph Sakran". Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Health Policy Fellows. Retrieved April 25, 2020.
  28. ↑ Rector, Kevin (January 30, 2020). "Hopkins surgeon, gun violence prevention advocate takes to Twitter to report 'death threat' left on his car". Baltimore Sun.
  29. ↑ Victim of gun violence returns to the E.R., this time as the surgeon
  30. ↑ Dr. Joseph Sakran On Gun Violence: We Are Facing A Public Health Crisis
  31. ↑ Armas de fuego: ¿Enfrenta Estados Unidos una crisis de salud pública?
  32. ↑ CNN Interview Dr. Joseph Sakran; Gun violence victim responses to NRA
  33. ↑ House Judiciary Testimony
  34. ↑ September 23, 2019: Joseph Sakran
  35. ↑ Why Doctors Are Taking on the NRA
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.