Joan Sullivan Garrett
Born (1949-08-02) August 2, 1949
San Francisco, California, U.S.
EducationMesa Community College
Known forFounder of MedAire, Inc.
Spouse
Franklin Garrett
​
(m. 1987)​
Children2

Joan Sullivan Garrett (born August 2, 1949)[1][2] is a former critical care flight nurse,[3] telemedicine pioneer,[4] and American business executive who founded MedAire, Inc. in 1985 and its service arm, MedLink, in 1987.[5] She served as MedAire CEO until 2008 and today is chairman.[6] MedLink is credited with offering the first global in-flight medical assistance program, sometimes referred to as the "911 of the sky".[7][1]

Early life and education

Joan Sullivan Garrett was born in San Francisco, California on August 2, 1949, into a family of nurses. She attended Mesa Community College in Mesa, Arizona, where she earned an associate degree and her license as a registered nurse in her early thirties. As a single mother of two young sons, she then gained critical care experience and certified in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) and pediatric advanced life support (PALS).[8][1]

Flight nursing career

Sullivan Garrett became a flight nurse with Air Evac, an air ambulance company at Banner Health, a trauma center then known as Samaritan Hospital System in Phoenix, Arizona, served as Director of Flight Personnel, and founded a paramedic training program.[9]

In 1983, she implanted a transthoracic pacemaker during an emergency call. The elderly patient was then transported to a trauma center in Phoenix, Arizona and survived another 11 years.[10][11]

In 1984 during a rescue and evacuation mission, Sullivan Garrett was unable to save an eight-year-old patient who was involved in a rollover accident in the San Tan Mountains of Arizona. Emergency medical technicians at the scene initially cancelled the Air Evac helicopter dispatch within five minutes of landing, and later called Sullivan Garrett's team back to the accident site. Due to the severity of injuries and the time elapsed during transport to a level 1 trauma center, the young patient did not survive.[12][13]

The tragedy compelled Joan, whose sons were around the same age, to find a way to improve the outcomes of remote medical emergencies. In 1985, she launched her startup, MedAire.[14][15]

Founder, CEO, and Chairman of MedAire

As MedAire's founder and chief executive officer (CEO), Sullivan Garrett first provided a new and improved version of medical kits to the aviation and maritime industries. She responded to a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1985 with a design for a proper medical kit and trained crews in first aid response.[16][17] In 1987, she pioneered the world's first global remote emergency response center, MedLink, the service arm of MedAire.[18] The technology available in the 1980s was limited to high frequency radio, satellite, or teletype messaging that could connect land-based emergency physicians to remote operators wherever in the world they might be in the sky or at sea.

In 1997, Sullivan Garrett testified before Congress regarding the need for enhanced emergency medical kits aboard U.S. airlines.[19] In 2001, she testified before Congress to urge the mandate of automated external defibrillators (AEDs) aboard U.S. airlines. Subsequently, the Federal Aviation Administration's final ruling required this equipment on all domestic and international flights.[14][20] Her global response initiatives provided medical assistance during the Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunamis in Phuket, Thailand and the coastal regions of Asia in 2004.[21] MedAire received the American Telemedicine Association's Innovation Award during the Association's annual meeting, held in Tampa, Florida, also in 2004.[22]

Sullivan Garrett stepped down as MedAire CEO in 2008 after the company was acquired by International SOS, and now serves as MedAire chairman, industry consultant, and speaker.[23] She consults with government agencies such as the FAA and has written numerous white papers as an expert on inflight safety and remote medical response.[1][24] She has been interviewed extensively by news media.[25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][12][33]

Awards

Sullivan Garrett was recognized during Women's History Month in May 2021 by the National Aviation Hall of Fame and Boom Technology as one of six barrier-breaking women in aviation, including Bessie Coleman, Harriet Quimby, Louise Thaden, Jacqueline Cochran, and Patty Wagstaff.[34]

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 "Garrett, Joan Sullivan Enshrined 2020". National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  2. ↑ "Joan Sullivan Garrett, Nurse and Entrepreneur, Transforms an Industry". International SOS. Archived from the original on 2022-12-07. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  3. ↑ "IAWA Selects 2017 Aviation Industry Woman of Excellence Award". International Aviation Womens Association. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  4. ↑ "NBAA Congratulates Medical Response Pioneer Joan Sullivan Garrett on National Aviation Hall of Fame Induction". National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). 13 November 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  5. ↑ "Your Medical Co-Pilot". Aero Crews News. April 2020. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  6. ↑ Sullivan, J. (2008). "Telethinking with Joan Sullivan Garrett. Interview by Vicki Glaser". Telemedicine Journal and e-Health. 14 (6): 513–516. doi:10.1089/tmj.2008.8497. PMID 18729747. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  7. ↑ "How Do You Call 911 From 30,000 Feet in the Air?". Blue Sky News. 14 October 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  8. 1 2 "MedAire Founder Joan Sullivan Garrett". Mesa Community College. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  9. 1 2 "Joan Sullivan Garrett Honoree". San Diego Air & Space Museum. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  10. ↑ Jezierski, Marlene (1998). "MedAire: Peace of mind in the skies—A flight nurse's dream come true". Journal of Emergency Nursing. 24 (1): 71–73. doi:10.1016/S0099-1767(98)90178-7. PMID 9534539. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  11. ↑ "Wouldn't Give Up". Arizona Republic p. 17, September 7, 1984. 7 September 1984. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  12. 1 2 "Off Central: Arizona nurse pioneers treatment for in-air medical emergencies". KTAR News 92.3 FM. 6 March 2017. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  13. ↑ "Tempe company providing medical and health services to travelers". East Valley Tribune. 21 October 2004. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  14. 1 2 "Two Women in Aviation who are role models". JDA Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  15. ↑ "HOF Joan Sullivan Garrett KUSI TV". San Diego Air and Space Museum Archives. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  16. ↑ Leonard, Barry. Air Aid: Medical Kits Reach New Heights, p. 4 (Diane Publishing 1998)
  17. ↑ "Controlling What You Can't:Airborne Medical Emergencies". FlyCorporate Magazine. 16 May 2011. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  18. ↑ "The National Aviation Hall of Fame Recognizes the "Class of 2020"". The National Aviation Hall of Fame. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  19. ↑ "Medical Kits On Commercial Airlines". House.gov. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  20. ↑ "Many Flight Attendants Learn to Use Automated External Defibrillators" (PDF). Cabin Crew Safety. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  21. ↑ "Arizona companies rally to assist tsunami victims with relief efforts". Phoenix Business Journal. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  22. ↑ "American Telemedicine Association Recognizes MedAire for Industry Innovation". TMCNET News. Retrieved December 25, 2021.
  23. ↑ "EBACE Convention News: MedAire Celebrates 30 Years". AIN Online. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  24. ↑ "Twelve thousand inflight medical emergencies: What have we learned?". Air Medical Journal 2000 Vol. 19; Iss. 3. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  25. ↑ "IAWA Selects 2017 Aviation Industry Woman of Excellence Award". The International Aviation Womens Association (IAWA). Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  26. ↑ Donnelly, Sally B. (September 2004). "MedAire Is Everywhere". Time Magazine. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  27. ↑ "In the Air, Health Emergencies Rise Quietly". ABC News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  28. ↑ Higgins, Michelle (16 March 2008). "Need a Doctor in the Air? Fly With One". New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  29. ↑ Wald, Matthew L. (2 May 2004). "PRACTICAL TRAVELER; Saving Lives In the Skies". New York Times. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  30. ↑ "Air & Space Museum inducts 2019 Hall of Fame class". Fox 5. 24 November 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  31. ↑ "Joan Garrett - MedAire Inc (MEDRF)". The Wall Street Transcript. 12 January 2004. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  32. ↑ "The Doctor Is In" (PDF). Aviation Week. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  33. ↑ "Preparation is key to avoiding travel troubles". Tampa Bay Times. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  34. ↑ "Women pilots: The daredevils, rule-breakers and pioneers who shaped aviation". Boom Technology. 4 May 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  35. ↑ "NBAA Congratulates Medical Response Pioneer Joan Sullivan Garrett on National Aviation Hall of Fame Induction". State Aviation Journal. 18 November 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  36. ↑ "Medaire founder Joan S. Garrett joins NAHF". International Transort Journal. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  37. ↑ "Garrett and Rosanvallon honoured by NBAA". Business Air News. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  38. ↑ "Joan Sullivan Garrett, MedAire Founder and Chairman, Enshrined into the National Aviation Hall of Fame". State Aviation Journal. 9 November 2021. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  39. ↑ "San Diego Air & Space Museum hosted its International Air & Space Hall of Fame Celebration". Ranch & Coast Magazine. 28 December 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  40. ↑ "Jeff Bezos in San Diego: To Save Planet, 'Move All Heavy Industry into Space'". Times of San Diego. 24 November 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  41. ↑ "Blue Origin Founder Jeff Bezos to Headline International Air and Space Hall of Fame Class of 2019". Aviation Pros. 5 November 2019. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  42. ↑ "Medical Response Pioneer Joan Sullivan Garrett Honored with Meritorious Service Award". The National Business Aviation Association. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  43. ↑ "Meritorious Service to Aviation Award". The National Business Aviation Association (NBAA). Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  44. ↑ "Joan Sullivan Garrett". Mesa Community College. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  45. ↑ "People in Aviation: October 2001". AIN Online. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
  46. ↑ "FSF Business Aviation Meritorious Service Award". Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved November 30, 2021.
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