Kettering College Respiratory Therapy Program Welcomes New Medical Director
At a recent Respiratory Success Day event, Dr. Joshua Hamilton, MD, was introduced as the medical director of Kettering College’s respiratory therapy training program. The day included a lecture and discussion on chest imaging led by Dr. Hamilton.
Dr. Hamilton will be overseeing the updates to clinically relevant education strategies. He serves as the point of contact to ensure respiratory therapy education is being integrated at the bedside. He comes to Kettering College with an impressive range of clinical and academic experiences that will undoubtedly enrich our program here.
He completed his medical school at Texas A&M and joined the United States Air Force (USAF) during that process and transitioned to Wright Patterson Air Force Base (WPAFB) for internal medicine training. After graduating from internal medicine residency training, he remained assigned to WPAFB as the “Chief Resident” with roles of improving resident education.
He was then accepted to fellowship at San Antonio Military Medical Center in Pulmonary and Critical Care medicine. During his training there, he gained medical knowledge and skills to manage the complexity of pulmonary and critical illness more effectively. He gained board certifications in Pulmonary Medicine and Critical Care medicine during this time. He was recognized as the top teaching fellow for his excellence in resident education.
Dr. Hamilton transitioned back to WPAFB in 2015, as he and his family enjoyed their time in the area. He led his division as the ICU medical director and participated in ongoing education of both residents in internal medicine as well as the Respiratory Therapy training platform at WPAFB. He deployed as a critical care air transport team physician, where he maintained capabilities to stabilize and transport critically ill patients from around the globe and safely transport them to higher levels of care, despite perilous environments.
After leaving the USAF, he and his family decided they wanted to make the Dayton area home. He joined a local practice at South Dayton Acute Care Physicians which provides excellent care to patients in the Kettering Health hospitals. He became the Surgical ICU medical director as the COVID-19 pandemic began. For the years that followed, Dr. Hamilton provided bedside care for both SICU patients, as well as a tremendous number of critically ill patients suffering the effects of COVID-19. He worked alongside the respiratory therapy team during the pandemic as they tirelessly cared for an unprecedented number of patients with severe pulmonary disease and respiratory failure.
As we have had a continued decline in the number of COVID-19 patients, Dr. Hamilton says it has been exciting to return to more of the educational aspects of critical care. He has gained an additional board certification in neuro critical care in the past year, allowing him to continue his educational pursuits and expand his knowledge. When he was approached to consider taking over the position as the medical director here at Kettering College, he felt that this strongly aligned with his desire to improve our preparedness for future respiratory therapy and critical care needs.
As the respiratory program medical director, he says, “I hope to influence the trajectory of our already strong program in a way that leads to improved overlap in the invaluable care that respiratory therapy and critical care provide our patients. I would like to serve as a resource with experience in a broad application of respiratory therapy.”
Although the COVID-19 numbers have improved, Dr. Hamilton points out respiratory therapists are still in high demand nationwide. He says, “As with many things that we take for granted when they are working well, the pulmonary system is not appreciated until there is a failure of normal physiology. When you can’t breathe, feel short of breath, cough, or have such failure that you are on a mechanical ventilatory, the role of a respiratory therapist becomes apparent.”
He continues, “The overwhelming need for highly trained respiratory therapists was brought to the national level of attention during the most recent pandemic. The care and diligence that respiratory therapists provided in recent years has saved untold numbers of lives and has improved the quality of life of those recovering from this and other pulmonary diseases.”
We welcome Dr. Joshua Hamilton to our faculty and are grateful to have his expertise to instruct our respiratory therapy students. He says, “I am truly thankful for the love and support of my wife and children. They encourage and empower me to invest in the education provided through this position. I am thankful that the faith in God that I share with many of our staff and students can be a valued part of the calling to love and care for our patients. To relieve their pain and suffering in a way that turns their eyes to Jesus, is a beautiful calling.”
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