The Disque Foundation
Advanced Medical Certification's nonprofit arm
The Disque Foundation is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit founded in July 2012 by Dr. Karl "Fritz" Disque, Advanced Medical Certification’s (AMC) founder. Its mission is to advance health care education to the underserved. The foundation is how AMC gives back: proceeds from AMC certifications fund the foundation's Save a Life Initiative, which provides the same physician-developed life support training AMC sells to professionals, free of charge, to anyone who needs it.
What the foundation does
Free online training: Through the Save a Life Initiative at savealife.com, anyone can take physician-developed CPR, BLS, ACLS, PALS, and Bloodborne Pathogens courses at no cost and receive a course completion certificate.
In-person missions: Foundation teams have delivered hands-on training in Haiti, Costa Rica, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Nepal, Malaysia, Kenya, Ecuador, and the Philippines, and across the United States, including New Orleans' Lower Ninth Ward, Appalachia, and Hawaii.
The super-user model: The foundation trains Save a Life Initiative (SALI) Trainers who go on to teach their own communities.
Free webinars: Live CPR training webinars are open to the public, with an archive of past sessions on the foundation's site.
Partnerships: The foundation works with hospitals, health systems, community organizations, Ronald McDonald House, International Care Ministries, and international training centres to extend its reach.
Ten million and counting
1 million
Reached January 2019
10 million
Reached December 2025
30 million
Target by 2030
When the foundation launched in 2012, the goal was to empower one million people to save a life by 2020. It got there in January 2019. The next goal, ten million by 2025, was reached in December 2025, with learners in 188 countries and territories. The target now is 30 million by 2030, and the counter on savealife.com moves every day.
Shared leadership
The foundation and AMC are led by the same people. Dr. Karl Disque is AMC's founder and the foundation's Executive Director; Kim Murray, RN, M.S., is the medical educator for both; and Mackenzie Thompson leads AMC's Save a Life programs and serves as the foundation's Director of Mission Fulfillment.
The full board of trustees and the Save a Life Initiative trainer network are listed on disquefoundation.org.
Dr. Karl Disque
AMC's founder · Foundation's Executive Director
Kim Murray, RN, M.S.
Medical educator · For both AMC and the foundation
Mackenzie Thompson
Leads AMC's Save a Life programs · Foundation's Director of Mission Fulfillment
How AMC learners contribute
You don't need to donate to support the mission. Every ACLS, PALS, BLS, CPR, Neonatal Resuscitation, or Bloodborne Pathogens certification purchased on AMC funds the foundation's free courses, in-person missions, and trainer network.
To donate directly, partner with the foundation, or read field reports, visit disquefoundation.org.