Professor David Bennett was a pioneer in the field of Intensive Care Medicine. He was a passionate researcher, educator, teacher, mentor, and promoter of critical care as a specialty in its own right In the UK.

The David Bennett Fund, which the Intensive Care Society has kindly agreed to administer, will reflect all these facets of his long and influential career'.

He qualified from the Middlesex Hospital, London in 1963 and, other than a year spent as a Fulbright Scholar in the pulmonary physiology lab at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, he worked solely in leading hospitals within the London area. He was a British Heart Foundation Research Fellow at the National Heart Hospital, a Medical Research Council Senior Registrar at Charing Cross Hospital and then Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and, in 1997, Professor at St George’sHospital Medical School. In 1974 he became the first Director of the Intensive Care Unit at St George’s Hospital. After formally retiring in 2007 he maintained research and teaching interests as a Visiting Professor at Guy’s and St Thomas’ Hospitals.

He held important roles within the European Society and in senior editorial positions for a variety of critical care journals, including Intensive Care Medicine. The UK Intensive Care Society and he European Society of Intensive Care Medicine both acknowledged his major contribution to the specialty through the award of Honorary Fellowships

The Fund will support a workshop in David’s name for trainees to interact directly with figureheads from the world of critical care. These teach-ins will take place annually at the UK Intensive Care Society State of the Art meeting, with The David Bennett Fund supporting registration fees for junior doctors and travel costs for the renowned guest speakers. We hope this can form part of David’s lasting legacy, reflecting his passion for intensive care, his love of research, and his skill at enthusing younger generations. 

So please dig deep and donate now.