Sam Shartar is responsible for directing operations for the office. He also directs Emory's Threat Assessment Team and serves as the Emergency Management and Events Lead for Emory's Department of Emergency Medicine, Section for Prehospital and Disaster Medicine. Prior to joining CEPAR, Shartar served as the unit director for Emergency Services at Emory University Hospital. A Nationally Registered Paramedic (NRP) and former EMS supervisor, he has an extensive background in prehospital care and EMS operations. He serves as the agency director for Emory EMS (EEMS), has broad experience in emergency and critical care nursing, holds board certification as an emergency nurse (CEN), and is a fellow in the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN). His background in disaster management includes experience in EMS operations, biosafety transportation, special event management, incident management, crisis response and consequence management, field operations, exercise design and implementation, and health care operations.
Shartar serves on Georgia’s (GEMA) Type 3 All-Hazard Incident Management Team with FEMA qualifications as an incident commander, operations section chief, and safety officer. He serves on the Regional Emergency Medical Services Advisory Council for Region 3, representing DeKalb County. He works with the National Emerging Special Pathogen Training and Education Center (NETEC) and serves on the Executive Committee of the Radiation Injury Treatment Network (RITN). He also serves as a subject matter expert with the with the Southern Regional Disaster Response System (SRDRS). He is certified as a Professional Emergency Manager (PCEM), holds certification as an Emergency Management Healthcare Professional (EMHP), and is board certified as a National Healthcare Disaster Professional (NHDP-BC). Shartar practices clinically in the Emergency Department of Emory University Hospital.