Dr. Greg Powell, the founder of STARS air ambulance and a pioneer in the field of emergency medicine, died this week at the age of 77.
The Foothills resident died on April 30 at Foothills Country Hospice with his wife and family at his side, STARS said in a statement.
Powell formed the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service (STARS) in 1985 that has become a lifeline for patients in rural, remote and Indigenous communities.
“Early on, he recognized too many patients were dying because they couldn’t get the care they needed fast enough and was motivated to change that,” said Dr. John Froh, president and CEO of STARS.
Witnessing rapid helicopter evacuations of injured soldiers during the Vietnam War left a lasting impact on Powell.
“Countless people are alive today because of his ground-breaking vision and enduring tenacity and for that we are honoured to carry on his mission,” Froh said.
Before forming STARS, Powell worked to grow the field of emergency medicine in Canada and, in the 1970s, was the only formally-trained emergency physician in Calgary.
Powell launched an emergency residency training program with the University of Calgary and, in the 1980s, worked to have emergency medicine recognized as a specialty in Canada.
He served on the board at Foothills Country Hospice and retired as president and CEO of STARS in 2012.
Among other honours, Powell was named one of Alberta’s Physicians of the Century by the Alberta Medical Association and College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta in 2006.
