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Peter B. Bennett
Peter B. Bennett
Born	12 June 1931; Portsmouth, Hampshire, England
Died	9 August 2022 (aged 91)
Alma mater	University of London; University of Southampton
Occupation	Academic
Employer(s)	Duke University; Royal Navy (1953–1972)

Peter B. Bennett (12 June 1931 – 9 August 2022)^[1] was the founder and a president and CEO of the Divers Alert Network (DAN), a non-profit organization devoted to assisting scuba divers in need.^[2] He was a professor of anesthesiology at Duke University Medical Center, and was 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.

Bennett was born in Portsmouth, Hampshire, England.^[3] He was employed at the Royal Naval 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.^[4]

Education

University of London, 1951, B.Sc.
University of Southampton, 1964, Ph.D.
University of Southampton, 1984, D.Sc.

Research

As a researcher, Bennett performed studies of nitrogen narcosis, oxygen toxicity, submarine escape, decompression illness, ascent rates, and the effects of flying after diving.^[5] Bennett described helium tremors in 1965 and coined the name of high pressure nervous syndrome (HPNS),^{[clarification needed]} a diving disorder resulting from breathing a high-pressure mixture of helium and oxygen known as heliox at depths greater than about 150 metres (490 ft).^[5]^[6] 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[7]^[8] In 45 years, Bennett published over 200 scientific papers and six books.^[3]^[4]

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.^[9] Bennett was pressured by board members to step down, in reaction to alleged improprieties in his handling of the organization's finances.^[10]^[11]

From 2004 to 2007, Bennett served as Executive Director of the International Divers Alert Network.^[12]

From 2007 to 2014, Bennett served as the executive director of the Undersea and Hyperbaric Medical Society.^[13]^[14]

References

^ DAN Founder Bennett Dies At 91
^ 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.
^ ^a ^b 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. Archived from the original on 15 April 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2011.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ ^a ^b Platinum Pro 5000 Diver Profile:Peter B. Bennett Archived 8 November 2007 at the Wayback Machine
^ ^a ^b 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.
^ 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.
^ 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. Archived from the original on 27 July 2011. Retrieved 15 January 2011.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ 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. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 8 September 2008.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ 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. Archived from the original on 13 January 2013. Retrieved 15 January 2011.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
^ Strom, Jennifer. "DEEP TROUBLE: Peter Bennett Goes Down for Ripping Off DAN, Divers Alert Network". Cyber Diver News Network. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
^ "DAN Founder Retires amid controversy...and serious questions". Undercurrent. January 2003. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
^ "Scientific Symposium Honoring Dr. Bennett Coming May 1". DAN News. Divers Alert Network. 9 March 2004. Retrieved 31 March 2007.
^ "Peter B. Bennett, Ph.D., DSc., Is Named Executive Director of UHMS". DAN News. Divers Alert Network. 22 June 2007. Retrieved 8 September 2008.
^ "New Leadership Brings Renewed Energy to the Society". Undersea & Hyperbaric Medical Society Blog. Retrieved 12 August 2022.