Dwight Gregory Powell

Born in Welland, Ontario on November 24, 1947 to his parents, Ruth and George, Dwight Gregory Powell, known as Greg, was the first of three children in the family, followed by his sisters, Louise and Kathryne. In 1942 Greg’s parents were the first Canadian couple to be permitted to marry overseas under amended military marriage rules of the Second World War.

When less than a year old, Greg moved with his parents to Devon, Alberta, growing up there and graduating from high school in Edmonton in 1965. In 1968 he graduated from the University of British Columbia (UBC) in Vancouver with a Bachelor of Science degree, followed later by a degree in Medicine. While travelling to Australia in 1969 during the Vietnam War, en route to a summer medical elective in Darwin, Australia, Greg stayed at Saigon for a few days as a medical student observer at a Mobile Army Surgical Hospital unit.

“This was an unforgettable experience which molded my thought for critical care and helicopter ambulance in my future and developing career,” he says. “I saw severely injured soldiers undergo rapid surgical intervention after being flown into the unit by helicopter – and amazing survival despite the extent of the injuries due to this rapid response.”

In Australia, Greg worked for two months as an orderly at the Royal Darwin Hospital. He was a medical student observer of the air ambulance program, often referred to at the time as the Flying Doctor Service. Greg continued his studies at UBC, graduating with his M.D. degree in 1972. An interest in flying led to a new challenge, and in 1975 he earned his Private Pilot Licence with the Calgary Flying Club at the Springbank Airport. In 2002, he qualified for multi-engine and IFR endorsements. For many years, he either owned or maintained fractional ownership in a single-engine aircraft.

Following specialization in Family Medicine at the University of Calgary (U of C) in 1974, he specialized in Emergency Medicine at McGill University. While working at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montréal, he met his wife, Linda, who was the lead physiotherapist at the Ross Pavilion Physiotherapy unit at the hospital. There Greg had recently assumed the role of Clinical Director, Emergency Department. Greg and Linda were married on October 1, 1977.

At McGill, Greg was a lecturer in emergency medicine in 1976-77. He and Linda moved to Alberta in 1977 where he accepted an appointment in 1978 as the Chief of Emergency Medicine at Foothills Hospital in Calgary, a position he held until 1990. During that time, and continuing until 2013, he also taught in the Faculty of Medicine at the U of C. From 1978-1985 he was involved with establishing the U of C Emergency Medicine Residency program.

Dr. Christopher Doig, Head of the Department of Critical Care Medicine at the University of Calgary, has stated that,

“It is well known that patients in rural areas, remote from acute care hospitals specialized in caring for critically ill and injured patients, are at a higher risk of death. It is one thing to know this, and another to act on it. In the mid-1980s, Greg saw patients from rural areas of Alberta die from survivable conditions simply because of the distance and time to transport them to acute care. Greg established local community philanthropic support to develop rapid rotor wing air transport to help Albertans – and STARS was born.”

As a founder of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Society (STARS) in 1985, and later as a founding member of the Shock Trauma Air Rescue Service Foundation, Greg Powell served as CEO of both entities from their formation until 2012. The STARS Foundation is the fundraising arm of the organization drawing financial support in donations from individuals, service groups, corporations, and municipalities. Dr. Powell held those positions while still a professor of Family and Emergency Medicine at the University of Calgary.

Today, STARS operates from six bases. There are three in Alberta – Calgary, Edmonton, and Grande Prairie. Bases in Saskatchewan are at Saskatoon and Regina, while a base in Winnipeg serves areas in Manitoba. In 2016-17 a total of over 3,200 missions were flown from the six bases. A mixed fleet includes eight Airbus BK-117 helicopters, and three AgustaWestland AW139 helicopters.

Coordination with the provincial ground ambulance and fixed wing air ambulance system ensures the most appropriate mans of transporting patients and medical teams. In 1996, the STARS Emergency Link Centre was established, with support from the Canadian Association of Petroleum Producers, to coordinate communications among the response and medical services involved in a mission. By early 2018, from all STARS bases, over 36,000 missions had been carried out.

In 1988, STARS was formally recognized as an essential service when integrated into emergency planning for the Calgary Winter Olympic Games. In 1991, the STARS Edmonton base was established and STARS was awarded rotary and fixed wing air medical ambulance contracts for both Edmonton and Calgary bases by the provincial government. In 2001, the International Association of Air Medical Services named STARS as the recipient of its Program of the Year award and STARS was the first international and first Canadian program to receive this honour.

In 2006, Alberta’s third base was opened in Grande Prairie. STARS serves northeastern and southeastern British Columbia from the Grande Prairie and Calgary bases, respectively. In 2011 and 2012, agreements were made for STARS service in Saskatchewan and Manitoba.

As a charity and community-based organization, fundraising and volunteer activities are vital to support operations. Volunteers conduct tours and participate in a variety of fundraising activities that range from the very successful STARS Lottery, STARS calendars, gala dinners and auctions, horseback rides, and many other innovative community events. Planned giving, bequests, and donations from individuals, community organizations and corporations are a significant part of the funding. Agreements with each provincial government are in place with varying levels of funding and close working relationships.

Greg Powell is the recipient of many awards and honours. Among them is Distinguished Physician of the Year in 2004 by the Air Medical Physicians Association, for his contribution to the air medicine profession. In 2005, he was named one of the 100 Physicians of the Century by the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Alberta and the Alberta Medical Association. In 2006 he was appointed as an Officer in the Order of Canada, for service in the area of emergency medicine and transport for the critically ill and injured, and for the establishment of STARS. In 2012 at the annual Air Medical Transport Conference of the Association of Air Medical Services, based in Washington DC, which he has served as Board Chair, Dr. Powell received the Marriott-Carlson Award for leadership and lifetime achievement. Appropriately, in 2015, the helipad at the Foothills Medical Centre in Calgary, was named in his honour as the Dr. Greg Powell Helipad.

Greg and his wife, Linda, have lived in the Calgary area since 1977 working side by side for almost thirty years in the development of STARS. They continue to serve as passionate volunteer ambassadors for this critical mission. They are parents of two sons, Adam and Nate, and one daughter, Cailin.