DAN Medical Research
Staff Biographies

Current Studies Completed Studies News & Events

The following researchers and staff, including those at the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology, collect dive data, report on information gathered, and work with other experts in the dive safety and health fields. Their findings are integral to the DAN mission.

Richard Vann, Ph.D. - Vice President, DAN Research

Dr. Vann is Assistant Research Professor in Anesthesiology, Safety Officer and Director of Applied Research at the Duke Hyperbaric Center, and Vice President for Research at DAN. Dr. Vann is responsible for planning and executing the DAN Research Program. He oversees the coordination of DAN Research activities with the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology and actively promotes DAN Research through speaking engagements, presentations to the diving industry, and numerous publications related to diving.

For a list of publications authored by Dr. Vann, click here.

Petar J. Denoble, M.D., D.Sc. - Senior Research Director

As a Senior Research Director, Dr. Denoble is involved with development of new studies diving safety, oversees ongoing studies and monitors their progress. He is currently the touchstone at DAN for Project Dive Exploration and the DAN Injury Database.

Dr. Denoble coordinates development of software tools for data collection, management and analysis within DAN Research. He coordinates standardization of data with dive computer manufacturers. He also works on integration and harmonization of research data management processes within International DAN.

For a list of publications authored by Dr. Denoble, click here.

Donna Uguccioni, M.S., EMT, CHT, DMT - Diving Physiologist

Donna is the Research Coordinator for DAN Research plus the supervisor of research field data collection. She is also the liaison between the DAN Research and Marketing and Development departments.

As a diving physiologist, she is involved in the collecting of data, studying dive safety practices and procedures through field and chamber studies. She is responsible for overseeing the research department field projects. As Research Coordinator, she is involved in designing and organizing new field research projects, writing articles and giving presentations to the diving industry as well as scientific community. She keeps the industry as well as the rest of DAN updated on DAN Research activities. Donna also is a research technician at the Duke Center for Hyperbaric Medicine & Environmental Physiology. Donna is the program coordinator for the DAN Research Internship Program.

For a list of publications authored by Donna Uguccioni, click here.

Julie Ellis – Research Assistant

Julie is the Research Assistant for DAN Research. Her main responsibility is to collect and maintain injury and fatality data for analysis and inclusion into DAN’s annual Report on Decompression Illness, Diving Fatalities and Project Dive Exploration. Julie is a liaison between the DAN Medical and Research departments as these two work together on follow up of injury and fatality data. She is responsible for the production of the annual report slides and assists the Research staff with injury and fatality data requests. She is the Custodian of Records for DAN Research and Medicine, and maintains the Medical Records storage area. She assists Dr. James Caruso, pathologist for DAN’s fatality data, with DAN-related presentations.

Lisa Li - Programmer

Lisa is the Programmer and Database Administrator for DAN Research. She is responsible for developing custom, self-standing software applications for field data collection in Visual basic, Access or C++. This includes Windows-based GUI and database programming, processing ASCII files, data compression and automatic maintenance of database file. The applications are used to collect dive data for Project Dive Exploration and medical information about diving injuries treated in recompression chambers.

Jeanette Moore - Research Specialist

Jeanette is the Research Specialist for the department, and she is responsible for providing information about DAN Research to the diving public. She also answers inquiries or passes them along to the appropriate research staff. She is responsible for recruiting and scheduling project participants for hyperbaric chamber studies; maintaining the project database; and organizing the study schedules and paperwork. She manages the dive computer inventory and dive computer shipping schedule, as well as setting travel arrangements for Research Department personnel. Jeanette reviews and submits staff travel reconciliation and maintains the annual research calendar.

Adjunct Staff

Jake Freiberger, M.D., MPH - DAN/Hyperbaric Attending Physician

Dr. Freiberger is an attending physician at the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke University Medical Center. Trained in epidemiology, he assists in study design, data analysis, report writing and medical supervision of human subjects involved in DAN-supported diving research. He also disseminates DAN research data through presentations at scientific meetings, medical courses and symposia on diving medicine.

For a list of publications authored by Dr. Freiberger, click here.

Neal W. Pollock, Ph.D. - Research Associate in Anesthesiology, Duke University Medical Center

Dr. Pollock is a Research Associate in the Center for Hyperbaric Medicine and Environmental Physiology at Duke University Medical Center. Trained in exercise and environmental physiology, his research interests focus on human health and safety in extreme environments. He participates in study design, data analysis and report writing in DAN-supported research. He presents relevant research data at scientific meetings, medical courses, symposia and public events.

For a list of publications authored by Dr. Pollock, click here.