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Sam Parnia is an Assistant professor of medicine at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He received his medical degree from the Guy's and St Thomas' Hospitals (UMDS) of the University of London in 1995 and his PhD in cell biology from the University of Southampton in the UK in 2006. Parnia is director of resuscitation research at the State University of New York in Stony Brook and director of the Human Consciousness Project at the University of Southampton.

Education

Parnia graduated from Guys and St. Thomas' medical schools in London where he received his MBBS in 1995. He then went on to the University of Southampton where he worked as a clinical research fellow. He received postgraduate student supervision and completed his PhD at the University of Southampton in 2007. He then went on to Weill Cornell Medical Center, in New York, USA, where he completed medical residency training in internal medicine in 2008. He then worked as a clinical research fellow at Weill Cornell Medical Center, where he completed fellowship training in pulmonary and critical care.

Career

Parnia is known for his involvement in the field of emergency medicine and cardiac arrest resuscitation, which is considered to be his field of expertise. One of his areas of concentration has been in the incorporation of cerebral oximetry during cardiac arrest care as a marker of the quality of oxygen delivery to the brain during resuscitation.

As a member of the Consciousness Research Group, School of Medicine, University of Southampton, Parnia has also published theories on the nature of human mind and consciousness. This research has included investigation of near-death experiences. Parnia is often confronted with the paranormal aspect of his research, and the resistance to the type of studies that he is conducting in the mind/brain-area. His answer has been that he does not consider it to be paranormal, but to represent a new field of science.

From near death experiences to actual death experiences

Parnia has repeatedly emphasized that the term near death experiences has been used to refer to mental states sharing some kind of transcendental or religious characteristics irrespective of the underlying pathophysiological states. This has happened since the term was coined by Raymond Moody in the 1970s. Hence the term is very vague and creates problems for clinical studies because different researchers could be studying patients with very different physiological conditions under the same umbrella term. Some patients could face critical medical conditions, others instead less serious conditions. Some researchers could even study perfectly healthy subjects who had some sort religious or transcendental (mental) experience, as mentioned above.

Since "undoubtedly, as the pathophysiology of so-called near-death conditions, such as acute myocardial infarction, is likely to be quite different from other conditions, such asmeningitis, severe pneumonia, or hemorrhagic shock following a car accident, then so too will be the cytokine and hormonal changes affecting the brain in response to these conditions." To do away with ambiguity and to reduce the scientific debate and controversy associated with studying mental states of (near death experience) patients and/or subjects under very different pathophysiological conditions, Parnia narrowed the focus of his research on the cognitive experiences of patients who had a cardiac arrest, hence who had actually died. This allows to precisely study the mental experience of death “since the final common biological pathway to death is cardiac arrest, and since this has a well described universal pathophysiology irrespective of the cause of death”. Parnia has renamed those cognitive experiences occurring during cardiac arrest with a score of 7 or above on the Greyson’s scale to actual death experiences (instead of near death experiences).

Researching the mental experience of death

In 2001, Parnia and colleagues investigated out of body claims by placing figures on suspended boards facing the ceiling, not visible from the floor. Parnia wrote "anybody who claimed to have left their body and be near the ceiling during resuscitation attempts would be expected to identify those targets. If, however, such perceptions are psychological, then one would obviously not expect the targets to be identified." The philosopher Keith Augustine, who examined Parnia's study, has written that all target identification experiments have produced negative results. Psychologist Chris French wrote regarding the study "unfortunately, and somewhat atypically, none of the survivors in this sample experienced an OBE."

In 2003, Parnia and Peter Fenwick appeared in the BBC documentary "The Day I Died". In the documentary Parnia and Fenwick discussed their belief that research from near-death experiences (NDEs) indicates the mind is independent of the brain. According to Susan Blackmore the documentary mislead viewers with beliefs that are rejected by the majority of scientists. Blackmore criticized the documentary for biased and "dishonest reporting".

In his book Erasing Death and a series of interviews, Parnia has explained that although most people view death as irreversible, he claims that resuscitation research shows it may be reversible. Parnia has said he is uncertain the brain produces the mind and has suggested that memory is not neuronal. He has claimed that research from NDEs may show the "mind is still there after the brain is dead". However, neurologist Michael O'Brien has written that "most people would not find it necessary to postulate such a separation between mind and brain to explain the events," and suggested that further research is likely to provide a physical explanation for near-death experiences.

AWARE

Parnia is the principal investigator of the AWARE Study (AWAreness during REsuscitation), which was launched in 2008. The study includes medical centers across the UK, mainland Europe and North America. AWARE is a multidisciplinary multicenter international collaboration of scientists, physicians and nurses. This study incorporates testing of awareness and near-death experiences (NDE) during cardiac arrest with methods aimed at measuring the quality of oxygen delivery to the brain. Critics have expressed concern with the NDE research as it presents difficulty in the realm of informed consent.

As part of the AWARE study Parnia and colleagues have investigated out of body claims by using hidden targets placed on shelves that could only be seen from above. Parnia has written "if no one sees the pictures, it shows these experiences are illusions or false memories". Parnia issued a statement indicating that the first phase of the project has been completed and the results are undergoing peer review for publication in a medical journal. No subjects saw the images mounted out of sight according to Parnia's early report of the results of the study at an American Heart Association meeting in November 2013. Οnly two out of the 152 patients reported any visual experiences, and one of them described events that could be verified. According to psychologist Caroline Watt, "The one ‘verifiable period of conscious awareness’ that Parnia was able to report did not relate to this objective test. Rather, it was a patient giving a supposedly accurate report of events during his resuscitation. He didn’t identify the pictures, he described the defibrillator machine noise. But that’s not very impressive since many people know what goes on in an emergency room setting from seeing recreations on television."

On October 6, 2014, the results of the study were published in the journal Resuscitation.

In support of the study Jerry Nolan, Editor-in-Chief of Resuscitation, stated that the "researchers are to be congratulated on the completion of a fascinating study that will open the door to more extensive research into what happens when we die". However, in the wake of the publication several commentators expressed reservations with regard to the impact of the study. Skeptical commentator Michael Shermer, and psychologist Chris French, remained unconvinced about the results of the study, while Lichfield and Weintraub, representing major periodicals, noted that the evidence remains elusive.

Science writer Mike McRae has noted "While Parnia’s work contributes valuable data to understanding NDE as a cultural phenomenon, his speculations do indeed sit on the brink of pseudoscience."

Parnia is currently preparing AWARE II, a two-year multicenter observational study of 900-1500 patients experiencing cardiac arrest, with the closure date set to May 31, 2017.

Selected bibliography

• Parnia, Sam (2006). What Happens When We Die. Hay House. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Parnia, Sam (2013). Erasing Death: The Science That is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death. Harper Collins. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)
• Parnia, Sam (2013). The Lazarus Effect: The Science That is Rewriting the Boundaries Between Life and Death. Ebury Publishing. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |authormask= ignored (|author-mask= suggested) (help)

References

1. Stony Brook University Medical Center (Brochure). Pulmonary & Critical Care Fellowship Program. AAMC ID 1563521106
2. ^ Palchik, Guillermo. Conference Report: The Nour Foundation Georgetown University & Blackfriars Hall, Oxford University Symposium Series Technology, Neuroscience & the Nature of Being: Considerations of Meaning, Morality and Transcendence Part I: The Paradox of Neurotechnology 8 May 2009. Philosophy, Ethics, and Humanities in Medicine, 2009, 4:9
3. ^ "Results of world's largest near death experiences study published" (Press release). University of Southampton. 2015-05-03 . Retrieved 2015-04-08.
4. Adams, Tim. Sam Parnia - The man who could bring you back from the dead. The Guardian, published online Saturday 6 april 2013
5. ^ O'Brien, M (2003). "'The Day I Died'". BMJ (Review of TV show). 326 (7383): 288. doi:10.1136/bmj.326.7383.288. PMC 1125151.
6. "Donna Davies § Responsibilities: Postgraduate student supervision". Southampton Marine and Maritime Institute: University of Southampton. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
7. Southampton University Graduation List 2007 Part 1. Ceremony 10: School of Medicine; Doctor of Philosophy. Southern Daily Echo, published online Monday 23 July 2007
8. Greyson, Parnia & Fenwick. Correspondence: Visualizing out-of-body experience in the brain. New England Journal of Medicine, 358, 855-856, 2008.
9. ^ Evers, Marco (2013-07-29) . "Back from the dead: Resuscitation expert says end is reversible". Der Spiegel. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
10. ^ Stephey, M.J. (2008-09-18). "What happens when we die?". Time. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
11. Adam J Singer, Anna Ahn, Loren A Inigo-Santiago, Henry C Thode Jr, Mark C Henry, Sam Parnia. "Cerebral oximetry levels during CPR are associated with return of spontaneous circulation following cardiac arrest: an observational study." Emergency Medicine Journal, published online March 24, 2014
12. Parnia S, Nasir A, Shah C, Patel R, Mani A, Richman P (Aug 2012). "A feasibility study evaluating the role of cerebral oximetry in predicting return of spontaneous circulation in cardiac arrest". Resuscitation. 83 (8): 982–5. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2012.01.039.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
13. Yang J, Inigo-Santiago L, Parnia S (Apr 2014). "A feasibility study of cerebral oximetry monitoring during the post-resuscitation period in comatose patients following cardiac arrest". Resuscitation. 85 (4): 522–6. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2013.12.007.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
14. Parnia S (2007). "Do reports of consciousness during cardiac arrest hold the key to discovering the nature of consciousness?". Medical Hypotheses. 69 (4): 933–7. doi:10.1016/j.mehy.2007.01.076. PMID 17459598.
15. Duffin, Christian. "Near death experiences 'must be taken seriously'". Nursing Standard, 16.17 (Jan 9-Jan 15, 2002):9.
16. PM Interview. Weill Cornell Medical Centre Doctor, Death researcher, Sam Parnia. Popular Mechanics, published online 30 June 2009
17. "Raymond Moody and Near Death Experiences". Horizon Research. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
18. ^ Parnia, Sam (November 2014). "Death and consciousness--an overview of the mental and cognitive experience of death" (PDF). Annals of the New York Academy Sciences. 1330: 84. doi:10.1111/nyas.12582. PMID 25418460.
19. "Research Scales Used to Classify an NDE : the Greyson Scale". Horizon Research. Retrieved 2015-12-25.
20. Parnia, S; Waller, DG; Yeates, R; Fenwick, P (2001). "A qualitative and quantitative study of the incidence, features and aetiology of near-death experiences in cardiac arrest survivors" (PDF). Resuscitation. 48 (2): 149–56. doi:10.1016/S0300-9572(00)00328-2. PMID 11426476. Retrieved 2015-04-08 – via Horizon Research Foundation.
21. Augustine, Keith (2008) . "Hallucinatory Near-Death Experiences § NDE target identification experiments". Internet Infidels. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
22. French, Chris (2005). "Near-Death Experiences in Cardiac Arrest Survivors". In Laureys, Steven (ed.). Progress in Brain Research. Vol. 150. pp. 351–67. doi:10.1016/S0079-6123(05)50025-6 – via Higher Education Academy. {{cite book}}: |access-date= requires |url= (help); External link in |chapterurl= (help); Unknown parameter |chapterurl= ignored (|chapter-url= suggested) (help)
23. Blackmore, Susan (2004). "Near-death experiences on TV". Sceptic Magazine. Vol. 17, no. 1. pp. 8–10. Retrieved 2014-06-03 – via susanblackmore.co.uk.
24. Gross, Terry (host); Parnia, Sam (2013-02-20). "'Erasing Death' Explores The Science Of Resuscitation". Fresh Air. NPR. WHYY-FM. Transcript. Retrieved 2015-04-08. {{cite episode}}: External link in |transcripturl= (help); Unknown parameter |serieslink= ignored (|series-link= suggested) (help); Unknown parameter |transcripturl= ignored (|transcript-url= suggested) (help)
25. Adams, Tim (2013-04-06). "Sam Parnia – the man who could bring you back from the dead". Health: The Observer. The Guardian. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
26. "Soul-searching doctors find life after death". The Telegraph.
27. "World's largest-ever study of near-death experiences" (Press release). University of Southampton. 2008-09-10. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
28. ^ Weintraub, Pamela (2014-09-02). "Seeing the light". Psychology Today. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
29. Miller, Bettye (2013-05-21). "Science research grants related to immortality announced". UCR Today (Press release). University of California, Riverside. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
30. ^ "Stony Brook professor leads world's largest medical study on the state of mind and consciousness at the time of death". Stony Brook Newsroom (Press release). Stony Brook University. 2014-10-09. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
31. ^ Lichfield, Gideon (April 2015). "The science of near-death experiences: Empirically investigating brushes with the afterlife". The Atlantic. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
32. Dieguez, Sebastian (September–October 2009). "NDE experiment: Ethical concerns". Skeptical Inquirer. Vol. 33, no. 5. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
33. ^ Dreaper, Jane (2008-09-18). "Study into near-death experiences". BBC News. Retrieved 2014-06-03.
34. "AWARE Study Update 2014". Horizon Research Foundation. Archived from the original on 2014-03-07.
35. Bowman, Lee (2013-12-20) . "Scientists looking closer at what happens when body dies; Edge closer to new understanding". WEWS-TV. Scripps Howard News Service. Retrieved 2014-05-24.
36. idoubtit (Sharon A. Hill) (2014-10-07). "One not too impressive study does not prove life after death". Doubtful News. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
37. Hill, Sharon (2014-10-08). "No, this study is not evidence for 'life after death'". SWIFT. James Randi Educational Foundation. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
38. Parnia, S; Spearpoint, K; de Vos, G; Fenwick, P; Goldberg, D; Yang, J; Zhu, J; Baker, K; Killingback, H; McLean, P; Wood, M; Zafari, AM; Dickert, N; Beisteiner, R; Sterz, F; Berger, M; Warlow, C; Bullock, S; Lovett, S; McPara, RM; Marti-Navarette, S; Cushing, P; Wills, P; Harris, K; Sutton, J; Walmsley, A; Deakin, CD; Little, P; Farber, M; Greyson, B; Schoenfeld, ER (2014). "AWARE-AWAreness during REsuscitation-a prospective study". Resuscitation. 85 (12): 1799–805. doi:10.1016/j.resuscitation.2014.09.004. PMID 25301715. {{cite journal}}: Unknown parameter |displayauthors= ignored (|display-authors= suggested) (help)
39. Cai, Sunny (2014-10-23). "Study finds awareness after death in patients". The Johns Hopkins News-Letter. Retrieved 2015-04-08.
40. Robb, Alice. The Scientists Studying Life After Death Are Not Total Frauds. New Republic, published online October 8, 2014
41. Science On the Edge of Life
42. Sam Parnia. "AWARE II (AWAreness during REsuscitation) A Multi-Centre Observational Study of the Relationship between the Quality of Brain Resuscitation and Consciousness, Neurological, Functional and Cognitive Outcomes following Cardiac Arrest" (2014).

• Living people
• Alumni of the University of Southampton
• Near-death experiences
• English medical writers