Title: Director of Paramedic Education (Retired) and Professor Emeritus
Company: Erie Community College
Location: Hamburg, New York, United States
Thomas T. Luka, retired director of paramedic education and professor emeritus at Erie Community College, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Educators for dedication, achievements, and leadership in emergency services and education.
Across a professional life that spanned nearly 45 years, Mr. Luka was a trusted teacher focused on educating paramedics. Before that, he learned the essentials as a medical corpsman serving in the United States Air Force for several years. Mr. Luka then established himself as an emergency medical technician (EMT), emergency department aide and orthopedic technician at Our Lady of Victory Hospital, beginning in 1969. Later he contributed as an associate for manpower and training with Lakes Area Medical Services Corp. in Buffalo, New York.
Mr. Luka shifted his attention to training others in 1976, becoming the director of paramedic training and operations for the Erie County Medical Center. After nearly five years in that position, he took on even greater responsibilities as the assistant director of advanced life support development for the Erie County Health Department’s Bureau of Emergency Medical Services.
It was in 1979 that Mr. Luka embraced his true calling, stepping into the role of professor and director of paramedic education for Erie Community College. Having demonstrated his expertise in the field of emergency services, he was trusted to establish this new branch of learning for the institution. Under Mr. Luka’s guidance, Erie Community College’s approach to paramedic education advanced and improved, giving him the opportunity to impact hundreds of students who went through the program. After approximately 35 years of leadership, he retired from his position in 2013 and became a professor emeritus at Erie Community College.
Before he could pursue his vocation, Mr. Luka set a strong foundation with his own education. He obtained a Bachelor of Arts in psychology from the University at Buffalo in 1973. He went on to receive his paramedic license from Erie Community College in 1975. Subsequently, Mr. Luka earned a Master of Science in health behavioral sciences from the same institution in 1990. He has also been certified as a hypnologist.
A volunteer within his local community, Mr. Luka gave his time and energy to the Boy Scouts as an assistant scout master and committee chairman for almost 50 years. Additionally, he gives back to the wider community as a volunteer with the American Heart Association Inc. and a member of the Boston NY Emergency Squad since 1996. As a veteran of the Vietnam War, Mr. Luka has seen firsthand how post-traumatic stress disorder affects soldiers. That knowledge informed him as he co-founded the Western New York Stress Reduction Program, where he still serves as a volunteer and peer counselor. In addition to aiding veterans, this program offers methods to help minimize stress regularly encountered by paramedics, police, firefighters and other emergency personnel.
Noted for his achievements in the fields of emergency services and education, Mr. Luka has been the subject of numerous accolades. Among others, he has been given the Mike Walter Memorial Award, the Educator of Excellence Award from Western Regional Emergency Medical Services, the Adult Service to Youth Recognition Award from the Boy Scouts and the Harriet Webber Leadership Award from the Wyoming Erie Regional Emergency Medical Services Council. Mr. Luka was noted for Excellence in Instruction by the University at Buffalo’s Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 1991 and was named an Emergency Medical Services Educator of Excellence by the New York State Medical Services Council in 1995. Upon his retirement in 2013, he received a Proclamation from Erie County New York Executive for 48 Years of Service to Emergency Medical Services and a Citation from New York State for Service to Students.
Beyond his professional accomplishments, Mr. Luka is a loving father to three, grandfather to three, and great-grandfather to two. He fills his post-retirement days with white water rafting and wilderness camping. Though he is retired, Mr. Luka also still intends to continue teaching part-time. Additionally, he plans to continue providing support to veterans and emergency services staff as a counselor with the Western New York Stress Reduction Program, further showcasing his dedication to his chosen field.
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