If you talk with Dr. David Steinbruner about why he’s a doctor, he tells stories about getting to meet a boy years after resuscitating him from choking as an infant—or being able to process an episode of PTSD with a veteran. If you walk through the halls of UCHealth Memorial Hospital Central with Steinbruner, you see him greet nearly every staff member by name. He clearly makes his roles as emergency physician and chief of staff personal. “His selfless approach to leadership allows others to excel and thrive in their care delivery,” says his colleague Dr. George Hertner.
Steinbruner has never been afraid to jump in and get things done. His path to a medical career began in wilderness first aid. And it’s easy to connect the dots from his role as a U.S. Army Emergency Medicine physician in Iraq and Afghanistan to his many current roles. As co-medical director of American Medical Response and the Colorado Springs Fire Department, including working with the Tactical EMS team, he coordinates guidelines, education and improvements with the community’s emergency medical service. “My big focus is on the education piece for medics and EMTs,” Steinbruner says. “I love to teach.”
He also serves on the State Emergency Medical and Trauma Services Advisory Council (SEMTAC) and as medical director for Limon Ambulance and other rural agencies, Steinbruner works with a team to improve emergency care in rural counties. “Ultimately it’s about the patient,” he says. “We’re trying to determine how do you best take care of the patient with a certain condition. How do we get to the right hospital in the right amount of time for the care that they need and are consistent about that across the board?”
“Dr. David Steinbruner works endlessly and tirelessly to educate and lead our prehospital providers so that they have the skills to be heroes in our community,” Hertner says.
Read about more Healthcare Heroes here.
