Peter B. Bennett

Peter B. Bennett (born June 12, 1931) is the founder and former president and CEO of the Divers Alert Network (DAN), a non-profit organization devoted to assisting scuba divers in need.[1] He is a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center, and is currently the Senior Director of the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke. Bennett is recognized as a leading authority on the effects of high pressure on human physiology.

Peter B. Bennett
Born12 June 1931 (age 89)
Portsmouth
Alma mater
OccupationAcademic
Employer

Bennett was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.[2] He was employed at the Royal Navy Physiology Laboratory near Portsmouth for 20 years, beginning in 1953. During this time, he formed and headed the Defence and Civil Institute for Environmental Medicine in Canada.[3]

Education

Research

As a researcher, Bennett has performed studies of nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, submarine escape, decompression illness, ascent rates, and the effects of flying after diving.[4] Bennett first described and coined the name of high pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS), a diving disorder resulting from too much time breathing a high-pressure mixture of helium and oxygen known as heliox.[4][5] Bennett was a consultant on the James Cameron underwater science fiction film The Abyss, in which a character experiences HPNS.

Bennett is credited with the invention of trimix breathing gas. In 1981, at Duke University Medical Center, he conducted an experiment called Atlantis III lasting 43 days, which involved compressing divers to an equivalent depth of 2,250 feet (690 m), and slowly decompressing them to surface pressure, setting a world record in the process.[6][7] In 45 years, Bennett has published over 200 scientific papers and six books.[2][3]

Retirement

Dr. Bennett received the 2002 Diving Equipment and Marketing Association (DEMA) Reaching Out Award for his contribution to the diving industry, and the Ernst and Young Entrepreneur of the Year 2002 award for contributions to business in the life sciences. He stepped down as President of the Divers Alert Network of America on 30 June 2003, after 23 years at the helm.[8] Bennett was pressured by board members to step down, in reaction to alleged improprieties in his handling of the organization's finances.[9][10]

From 2004 to 2007, Bennett served as Executive Director of the International Divers Alert Network.[11]

As of 2007, Bennett has been serving as the executive director of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.[12]

See also

References
  1. Bennett, PB (2008). To the Very Depths: A Memoir of Professor Peter B Bennett, Ph.D. Best Publishing Company. pp. 229 pages. ISBN 978-1-930536-47-0.
  2. Bennett, Peter B (2007). "Appendix: Curriculum Vitae". In: Moon RE, Piantadosi CA, Camporesi EM (Eds.). Dr. Peter Bennett Symposium Proceedings. Held May 1, 2004. Durham, N.C. Divers Alert Network. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  3. Platinum Pro 5000 Diver Profile:Peter B. Bennett Archived 8 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. Brubakk, A. O.; T. S. Neuman (2003). Bennett and Elliott's physiology and medicine of diving, 5th Rev ed. United States: Saunders Ltd. p. 800. ISBN 0-7020-2571-2.
  5. Bennett, P. B. (1965). "Psychometric impairment in men breathing oxygen-helium at increased pressures". Royal Navy Personnel Research Committee, Underwater Physiology Subcommittee Report No. 251. London.
  6. Camporesi, Enrico M (2007). "The Atlantis Series and Other Deep Dives". In: Moon RE, Piantadosi CA, Camporesi EM (Eds.). Dr. Peter Bennett Symposium Proceedings. Held May 1, 2004. Durham, N.C. Divers Alert Network. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  7. Bennett PB, Coggin R, McLeod M (December 1982). "Effect of compression rate on use of trimix to ameliorate HPNS in man to 686 m (2250 ft)". Undersea Biomed Res. 9 (4): 335–51. PMID 7168098. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
  8. Vann, Richard D (2007). "The History of Divers Alert Network (DAN) and DAN Research". In: Moon RE, Piantadosi CA, Camporesi EM (Eds.). Dr. Peter Bennett Symposium Proceedings. Held May 1, 2004. Durham, N.C. Divers Alert Network. Retrieved 15 January 2011.
  9. Strom, Jennifer. "DEEP TROUBLE: Peter Bennett Goes Down for Ripping Off DAN, Divers Alert Network". Cyber Diver News Network. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  10. "DAN Founder Retires amid controversy...and serious questions". Undercurrent. January 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  11. "Scientific Symposium Honoring Dr. Bennett Coming May 1". DAN News. Divers Alert Network. 9 March 2004. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
  12. "Peter B. Bennett, Ph.D., DSc., Is Named Executive Director of UHMS". DAN News. Divers Alert Network. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
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