Daved van Stralen made over 7,000 rescues in the 1970s while working for the Los Angeles City Fire Department. He earned his BA in Social Ecology and a BS in Biological Science from UCI, and attended UCI School of Medicine as one of the first (if not the first) career paramedic to become a physician. He completed his Pediatric Residency at UCI Medical Center and Pediatric Critical Care Fellowship at Children’s Medical Center and Parkland Memorial Hospital in Dallas, TX.
In 1989, he joined Ronald Perkin, MD to create a Pediatric Intensive Care Unit for Loma Linda University Medical Center. Using his paramedic background, he worked with the School of Allied Health Professionals to develop the Emergency Medical Care program, the first BA degree for paramedics on the west coast. Over the next 30 years, he collaborated with many medical professionals to make strides in the care of patients in respiratory distress, ultimately saving lives along the way. His accomplishments are many and continue to this day in his capacity as an Assistant Professor of Pediatrics for Loma Linda University.