Page 4 - Journal of Special Operations Medicine - Fall 2015

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In Memoryn Memory

r Norman Ellsworth McSwain Jr, surgery. While at KUMC, he was medi-
DMD, FACS, was a pioneer in the cal director of the Kansas City Fire De-
field of trauma medicine who helped partment Paramedic Program (KARE),
establish emergency medical services the Johnson County Kansas Para-
(EMS) systems on a national level as Dr medic Program (MED ACT), served as
Dr Norman McSwain JrNorman McSwain Jr
well as an international level. His train- statewide EMS medical director, and
ing emphasized rapid, immediate medical services to developed a statewide EMS system. He established a
treat victims of traffic crashes, gunfire, stabbings and standardized curriculum and training for emergency
other life-threatening injuries before they arrived at a medical technicians (EMTs) that was used throughout
hospital. His work has saved countless lives. He was a the state. An area of major importance he accomplished
highly regarded professor of surgery at Tulane University while at KUMC was securing a contract with the Depart-
School of Medicine and clinical professor of surgery at ment of Transportation to develop and implement a
Louisiana State University and Uniformed Services Uni- national curriculum for EMTs and EMT-Paramedics and
versity of Health Sciences. He was the trauma director of the development of a national certification examination.
the Spirit of Charity (Level I) Trauma Center; medical di- When he left KUMC, one of every 500 Kansans (includ-
rector and founder of PreHospital Trauma Life Support; ing the entire Kansas Highway Patrol) was trained as
chairman of Tulane Medical Center Emergency Medi- an EMT-Basic, 90% of the population was covered by
cine Section and section chief of Trauma/Critical Care paramedic-quality care with response times within 10
at Tulane; police surgeon for the New Orleans Police minutes.
Department; and medical director for the New Orleans
Jazz and Heritage Festival for the past 30 years. Previ- Dr McSwain was recruited by Tulane University School of
ous positions include vice chairman of the Department Medicine and Charity Hospital, considered to be one of
of Surgery at Tulane University School of Medicine and the three most important trauma centers in the United
residency program director for 15 years. States, in 1977. The city called on McSwain to continue
his work developed in Kansas, including a similar protocol
He attended the University of Alabama School of Medi- in New Orleans, which helped boost Interim LSU Hospi-
cine (1963) to study medicine under Dr Tinsley Harrison tal to become a Level I trauma center. McSwain also be-
(Harrison’s Textbook of Medicine) and Dr Champ Lyons gan training city police in basic emergency medical and
in surgery. Following graduation, he completed his in- paramedic techniques. For the past 35 years, he made
ternship in surgery at Bowman-Gray (currently Wake a point to care for severely injured police officers as the
Forest University) School of Medicine (1965) in Winston- police surgeon for the New Orleans Police Department.
Salem, North Carolina, and then joined the Air Force
(Berry Plan) and under the tutelage of Dr Kermit Van- McSwain’s crowning achievement could be his worldwide
denbos performing more than 1000 surgical procedures impact on emergency trauma care. An American Col-
before he completed his residency in surgery at Emory lege of Surgeons (ACS) Fellow since 1973, Dr McSwain
University School of Medicine (1970) through Grady Me- began his involvement with the Committee on Trauma
morial Hospital in Atlanta, Georgia. He continued his ex- (COT) in 1975 through his work with the Kansas Commit-
perience in patient care as a partner in private practice tee on Trauma. Four years later, he was appointed to the
with Dr Harrison Rogers (who later became president of national COT, where he led both the Pre-Hospital Care
the American Medical Association) for 3 years in Atlanta. Committee and the Advanced Trauma Life Support ®
During his time in Atlanta, he developed an interest Committee. He played a leading role on the team that
in emergency medicine and trauma care while he was revised the initial Hospital Resources Document, which
medical director of the Road Atlanta Race Track. evolved into the current COT Verification, Review, and
Consultation Program for Hospitals. Over the next three
He joined University of Kansas School of Medicine (1973) decades, Dr McSwain led the Louisiana Committee on
in Kansas City, as an academic associate professor of Trauma, served on the Task Force for Operative Skills,

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