ALUMNI PROFILE - DAVID CANTON
David B. Canton, a 1999 graduate, is chief medical officer of the National Disaster Medical System, part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). A career public health service officer, he is responsible for the quality of care provided during disasters. He is involved in policy development, and also serves as medical adviser to FEMA Occupational Safety and Health.
Like other entrants to the OEM program, he had a medical degree, in osteopathic medicine. He later earned a law degree. He uses his education in epidemiology and statistics to evaluate and adjust supplies and equipment in preparation for the next response. Every situation is a new challenge, he says. He enjoys working with multiple levels of government.
After he graduated from UW, Dr. Canton was detailed as chief of health and safety for the Coast Guard in New Orleans. From there, he was promoted to chief of operational medicine for the Coast Guard’s Atlantic area. As he neared the completion of that tour, he was recruited by the National Disaster Medical System.
He considers the occupational medicine fellowship to be excellent preparation to become a corporate medical director, which essentially is Dr. Canton’s role in FEMA. "My training in the fellowship and my work for my MPH provided the exact experience and skills needed for this job," he says.
Associate Professor Matt Keifer was his preceptor. The commissioned corps of the Public Health Service is always looking for good applicants, he says. Disaster medicine is such a new area that it offers vast opportunities, at both the state and federal level, for doctors with the right training and experience.