Hospital Rijnstate
Arnhem, The Netherlands
Dr. van Lommel, lead investigator for the prospective NDE study published in 2001 in The Lancet, now devotes himself full time to research on the NDE and the mind-brain relationship. During the 2006 IANDS Conference, he presented "On the Continuity of Consciousness."
Dr. van Lommel graduated in 1971 from the University of Utrecht and finished his specialization in cardiology in 1976. He worked from 1977-2003 as a cardiologist in The Netherlands' Hospital Rijnstate, an 800-bed teaching hospital. He has published several articles on cardiology, but since 1986 when he began research on near-death experiences (NDEs) in survivors of cardiac arrest, he has authored over 20 articles, most of them in Dutch; one book; and several chapters about NDEs and the relationship of consciousness with the brain. In these writings, he has described his concept of informational fields of consciousness whereby the function of neuronal networks are regarded as receivers and conveyors, not as producers, of consciousness and memories. Dr. van Lommel is the 2005 recipient of the International Association for Near-Death Studies' Bruce Greyson Research Award.