Learning to lead
One of the things Sadler liked most about Amherst was the opportunity to interact with top professors. "A place like Amherst prepares you for leadership. There is a complete focus on the undergraduate students, unlike at other larger universities. This allows you to gain confidence and teaches you good communication skills, which are cornerstones [in any career]," Sadler said.
After graduating from the College, Sadler went straight to law school at the University of Pennsylvania. "I knew it was a great base for a lot of things," he said. It was only after he graduated from law school and and started working that he chose a direction for his career.
From law to the donor card
Sadler and his twin brother both began working for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) not long after Sadler graduated from Penn. At the NIH the two brothers researched and created what we now know as the organ donor card, which allows people to declare that doctors have permission to use one or more of their organs for medical purposes in the event of their death. At that time, there was no law that allowed someone to donate organs or their body after death. In 1968, Sadler advised in the creation of the Uniform Anatomical Gift Act, which allowed people to indicate legally that their body, or certain parts of it, could be used for medical purposes. Forty states adopted this new law within the first year, and the remaining 10 states followed soon after.
After his work at NIH, Sadler was hired at Yale as an assistant professor of law and as co-director of the Yale Trauma Program at the Yale School of Medicine. He taught courses in health, law and policy at the schools of medicine, public health and law. While at Yale, Sadler helped create the first Physician's Assistant program in the nation for primary and emergency care, serving as legal counsel to this program.
The big chief
Sadler now serves as the chief executive officer of the San Diego Children's Hospital, a 235-bed, non-profit teaching hospital affiliated with the University of California School of Medicine. His position involves day-to-day management of the 2,500 employees and a fair amount of media work. Although his job is a hectic one, Sadler said he enjoys his work at the hospital.
Sadler said that while his main task is to set the direction of the hospital, there is an advocacy component to his job. As CEO, he works with other children's hospitals to lobby for funding. "Children don't have a vote," said Sadler, adding that adults must speak up for them in order to get them the best healthcare possible.
Sadler said the hospital has a $300 million annual budget. "Because San Diego Children's Hospital is a non-profit hospital, they rely heavily on state funds. The past few years have been challenging financially," said Sadler, referring to the budget crisis in California. However, he said that the situation is improving.
"The San Diego Children's hospital is the only hospital located along the 2,000-mile U.S.-Mexico border," Sadler said.
Crossing the border
In 1999, Sadler was nominated by Pete Wilson, the former California governor, to the U.S.-Mexico Border Health Commission. President Clinton subsequently appointed him to the committee.
This commission strived to focus more attention on the health problems of children and adults living along the border, according to Sadler. Its members advocate improved health status in the border region, identifying problems at the community level and developing specific strategies and solutions.
"It took five years to get all the details with enabling the treaty," said Sadler. "There are 13 members on the United States side and 13 on the Mexican side, three from each border state. One of the three slots from each state goes to the Commissioner of Health of that state."
The commission also created "Border Models of Excellence," which provides teaching and travel for physicians. For example, if a physician is successful in immunizing children and teaching parents about why vaccinations are important in El Paso, Texas, then this person teaches others how to do the same in Mexico.
Sadler also chairs the National Call to Action, an initiative to end child abuse in America. "The main focus is to create a visible political movement of how serious and prevalent child abuse is," he said. This initiative works to change policies and laws concerning child abuse.
Sadler has served on the Board of Directors of the California Children's Hospital Association, the Child Health Corporation of America, the National Association of Children's Hospitals and Related Institutions and the Healthcare Association of San Diego and Imperial Counties. He also serves as chair of the board of trustees of the California Healthcare Association.