Francis Joseph Dannemiller, M.D.

March 31, 1931 - April 30, 1983

Francis Joseph Dannemiller, M.D.

Doctor Dannemiller was born in Akron, Ohio, and was a 1953 graduate of Holy Cross College. He received his M.D. degree from Yale University School of Medicine in 1957. After his internship at Philadelphia General Hospital, he completed his residency training in anesthesiology at Yale University School of Medicine in 1961.

He entered active duty with the U.S. Air Force in 1961 and served in many clinical and leadership positions during his military career including Sheppard Air Force Base, Texas, Clark Air Force Base, Philippines, and Keesler Air Force Base, Mississippi. In 1970 he was assigned as Chairman and Director, Anesthesiology Residency Training Program, Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center in San Antonio, Texas. During his career, he encouraged and stimulated an interest in research by his own involvement resulting in numerous new protocols and publications.

During his long and illustrious medical career, Dr. Dannemiller served as the Program Chairman for the Annual Meeting of the America Society of Regional Anesthesia and as President of the San Antonio Society of Anesthesiologists. He held an academic appointment as Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio. He was also a Member of the Launch Medical Team for the Gemini and Apollo space programs and served as the Consultant in Anesthesiology to the US Air Force Surgeon General. He also served as Chairman to the ASA Defense and Military Affairs Committee; and as a member of the Committee on Medical Education for National Defense, the National Standards Institute Organization, the U.S. Air Force Representative to the International Standards Organization, and as past-president of the Military Society of Anesthesiologists.

Dr. Dannemiller's strong and lifelong interest in the education of anesthesiologists and nurse anesthetists continued after his retirement from the military in 1979. Immediately after his retirement, he went in to private practice in Anesthesiology and Pain. Despite his heavy commitment to his new practice, he spent many hours presenting lectures and workshops and developed and edited a unique journal entitled AnesthesiaFile. He continually strove to learn and acquire new skills and techniques to improve patient care and to pass that knowledge to those medical professionals involved in anesthesiology, postoperative care, and intensive care.

The Anesthesiology Refresher Course Lectures, the genesis of the Dannemiller Foundation's Anesthesiology Review Course, were first begun in 1953 by Dr. Arthur B. Tarrow, Chairman, Department of Anesthesiology, Wilford Hall USAF Medical Center, to prepare Air Force anesthesiologists for the board exams held by the American College of Anesthesiologists and the American Board of Anesthesiologists. In 1970, Dr. Dannemiller was informed that support from the Air Force for this meeting could no longer continue. In response to this information, Dr. Dannemiller founded, at his own expense, the Society of Air Force Anesthesiologists to ensure the continuation of this important educational meeting. Dr. Dannemiller moved this meeting to the San Antonio Convention Center where it continued to be extremely successful under his personal leadership and direction.

Dr. Dannemiller's dedication to medicine and his devotion to continuing education in both the art and science of anesthesiology was an inspiration to all who knew him. He often commented that his primary goal was not to attempt to provide all anesthesia knowledge, but to motivate others to learn what they did not know and had a need to know.

This remains the philosophy of the Dannemiller Memorial Educational Foundation today.