By Leila Merrill
SAN DIEGO — An array of lifesaving experts and resuscitation professionals gathered in December for the Citizen CPR Foundation’s Cardiac Arrest Survival Summit in San Diego. The event included awards and recognitions for people whose work saves lives.
The Hans H. Dahll Award winners were two trailblazers in cardiac resuscitation — Vinay Nadkarni, MD, medical director of the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia; and Tom Aufderheide, MD, MS, professor of emergency medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin. The award is named for the founding director of the Citizen CPR Foundation.
This community of resuscitation experts and cardiac arrest survivors also celebrated frontline
workers and survivors of sudden cardiac arrest at the CPR Saves Lives Rally on Dec. 9.
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Students from the Academy of Our Lady of Peace San Diego participated in a live, guided, hands-only CPR training session led by Maureen O’Connor, program manager for San Diego Project Heart Beat. A band played, and advocacy groups such as the American Red Cross and others were on hand. People who attended the free event got a look at equipment and vehicles from Rescue 44, San Diego Lifeguards, Battalion Chief Truck, Falck Ambulance, AMR Ambulance and the San Diego Police.
The summit included other recognitions.
The Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation announced and presented the People Saving People Award, which honors “ordinary” people with extraordinary spirits who helped save the lives of sudden cardiac arrest victims. This year, Bill and Juliana Schirmer received first-place recognition for helping
save the life of Al Hart in Pleasanton, Calif., on June 15, 2019.
The Cardiac Arrest Survival Video Contest award was presented jointly by Citizen CPR Foundation and Sudden Cardiac Arrest Foundation. The purpose of this contest is to increase awareness about sudden cardiac arrest and the importance of bystander action. Submissions were shown throughout Summit 2021. Salem Fire Department Chief Mike Niblock and the Salem Fire Foundation took home the top prize, including an AED donated by Coro Medical, LLC.
The Citizen CPR Foundation’s 40 Under 40 Class of 2021 was announced ahead of Summit 2021 and recognized during the gathering. The nominees represented a wide range of services and skills, all aimed at improving SCA outcomes. Nominees included educators, researchers, clinicians, survivors, family support members and first responders. For a full list of this year’s 40 Under 40 class, click here.
Summit 2021 was made possible with the support of sponsors such as the first-ever signature sponsor, ZOLL Medical; scholarship sponsor Global Medical Response; platinum sponsors AED Superstore, American Heart Association, American Red Cross, Laerdal Medical, PRESTAN Products, Stryker and
WorldPoint; gold sponsors Augeo, ESO and RedFlash Group; and silver sponsors Defibtech, HSI, Philips and Penn Medicine TTM Academy.