Edward Newton, MD grew up in Montreal, Canada. He has undergraduate degrees in History (Loyola College), Microbiology (UBC) and Medicine (McGill University). He trained in Emergency Medicine at the LAC + USC Medical Center and completed a Fellowship in Medical Toxicology from 1982-1985. He then practiced at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal and returned as the Emergency Medicine Residency Training Director at LAC + USC Medical Center from 1988 to 1995. He became Vice Chair of the Department of Emergency Medicine in 1995 and Chair of the Department from 2002-2012. He currently is working in the Emergency Department at LAC + USC. An aged gentleman compared to some of the other interviewees, Dr. Edward Newton shares with Sonosite his experience in C-Booth, the emergency room in the old facility of LA County Hospital, as he was one of the first members of the team."The people we would attract back in the old days were the cowboys of the specialty." The first physicians in C-Booth, which was the foundation of emergency medicine as a practice, were, according to Dr. Newton, definitely characters.
They were a bit of an unruly crowd, pretty wild and woolly. But we had a lot of fun.
Dr. Newton also notes that the situation in C-Booth was not ideal. A lot of changes have been made since then in regards to training and curriculum, especially avoiding wasting time training for such practices as breast feeding.
Dr. Newton also addresses his experience with the film, Code Black.
One of the older members of the cast as well as a proponent of the film during its early stages, Dr. Newton explains that the film was intended early on as archival footage for the LA County facility that was on its way out of existence. 
My idea was just that we would make a little video...an archive more or less.
However, the physician explains, the film soon became much more than that. The film has won several major awards, including the LA Film Festival award for best documentary.
Finally, Dr. Newton shares with Sonosite his experience with the healthcare system.
Dr. Newton expresses "the frustration of doctors at some of the obstacles... that have never proven themselves to be of any benefit." Clearly the healthcare system has a long way to go, according to Dr. Newton's interview, especially as it relates to emergency medicine practices.
Watch the Code Black Movie Trailer
