Ciarán Staunton

Ciarán is a leading public figure in the fight against sepsis. He is the founder of END SEPSIS, the Legacy of Rory Staunton, a not-for-profit organization he founded with his wife Orlaith after their twelve-year-old son Rory, who died on April 1, 2012, of undiagnosed and untreated sepsis.

In 2013, working with the New York State Department of Health, Rory’s Regulations were mandated in the State. Rory’s Regulations require all hospitals in the State of New York to adopt evidence-based protocols for the rapid identification and treatment of sepsis. In the first 30 months, the regulations reduced the odds of dying for sepsis patients by 21%, and sepsis mortality for pediatric patients was reduced by 40% when these regulations were successfully administered. In 2022 New York State Department of Health reported that sepsis protocols saved more than 16,000 lives in New York State between 2015-2019.

Nationally, Ciaran Staunton was the first to speak before the United States Senate Health, Education, Wellness & Pensions Committee (HELP) in September 2013, sharing Rory’s story and demanding the federal intervention in stopping sepsis. He concurrently insisted upon and worked with the Centers for Disease (CDC) control to recognize sepsis publicly and create awareness and national educational campaigns. END SEPSIS also brought sepsis to the classroom through an alliance with the American Federation of Teachers, creating curricula for sepsis.

Ciaran’s work has expanded sepsis awareness and education campaigns to younger children, parents, and healthcare professionals. The Foundation worked with BARDA DRIve (Biomedical Advanced Research and Development Authority) in targeting maternal sepsis and other government agencies to create awareness and education for underserved populations.

The Foundation’s work has been featured on The Today Show, The New York Times, People Magazine, The Wall Street Journal, and The Discovery Channel.

On September 13, 2022, U.S. Senator Chuck Schumer declared the day to be named National Sepsis Day, honoring Rory Staunton and his family. On December 31st, 2022, sepsis funding and directives were included in the U.S. national budget for the first time.

Ciaran is a renowned speaker internationally and sits on the Board of Directors of the Global Sepsis Alliance. He was honored in 2022 with the Presidential Service Award by the President of Ireland.