From Gunshot Survivor to Trauma Surgeon | Joseph Sakran, MD, MPH

The Doctor's Art

Joseph Sakran, MD, MPH was a teenager in a small town in Virginia when, in 1994, his life took a dramatic turn. At the age of 17, he was out with his friends after a high school football game when a nearby gunfight broke out and he was struck by a stray bullet in the throat. The bullet, tearing through his windpipe and a carotid artery, brought him to the razor edge of death before he was saved by trauma surgeons.

Thirty years later, Dr. Sakran is now a trauma surgeon who serves as Director of Emergency General Surgery at the Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore and a vocal advocate of reducing firearm injury through public health initiatives at the state and national levels. Following the 2018 comment by the National Rifle Association that doctors should “stay in their lane” with regard to gun violence prevention, Dr. Sakran started the #ThisIsOurLane movement, mobilizing thousands of health care professionals to advocate for gun violence as a public health crisis.

Over the course of our conversation, Dr. Sakran shares his harrowing experience of being shot and what it was like to be confronted with imminent death, how his perspectives on and priorities in life changed after the incident, what goes on in his mind when he operates on victims of gun violence, how he connects with his patients over shared experiences of trauma, how all clinicians can be more empathetic with their patients, and why advocacy is integral to the work of a physician.

In this episode, you’ll hear about:

2:46 - How a personal tragedy set Dr. Sakran on the path to becoming a trauma surgeon

9:51 - How Dr. Sakran’s perspective on life was altered by his personal experience with gun violence

13:11 - How Dr. Sakran’s experiences informs his approach to speaking with patients and their loved ones during traumatic situations

19:09 - The importance of showing empathy to build rapport with patients and families

23:51 - What it is like to tend to victims of violence

29:26 - Addressing the public health crisis of gun violence in America

37:41 - How clinicians can become more involved in advocacy

45:32 - Dr. Sakran’s advice to future clinicians

Dr. Joseph Sakran can be found on Twitter/X at @josephsakran.

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