My first official trip as the scholar, after the awards ceremony in New York City, was a week-long trip to visit the Divers Alert Network (DAN) headquarters in Durham, North Carolina. I have been a member of DAN for as long as I’ve been a diver, but luckily have never needed to use the organization for diver emergencies. But I thought that a trip to DAN would provide me an invaluable experience in broadening my understanding of safe diving and the ways DAN works to serve recreational divers.
I flew out to Durham on Sunday evening, where Patty Seery, the Training Director at DAN, generously picked me up from the airport and acted as my lovely host for the week. Monday started what was to be a busy week at DAN. Patty organized a “get to know you” breakfast with the Mission Team, where I got to meet a small number of the DAN family. I spent the rest of the morning getting to meet the various people who work at DAN and learn a bit about their roles with the company, from research to IT to marketing. I got to meet the majority of the people who make DAN function on a daily basis. Later that afternoon, I had the opportunity to spend one-on-one time with Patty, beginning my Instructor’s courses for a variety of the safety training courses offered through DAN.
Tuesday was also spent dividing my time amongst two departments: the Alert Diver production department and the Medicine department. I was fortunate to be at DAN during this week, as the folks who work so hard to create the quarterly publication “Alert Diver” had a meeting to begin planning out the editions for Q3 and Q4, giving me an inside look at how the various topics and articles are selected. I also had the chance to meet with Brian and Diana, the “top dogs” of Alert Diver, who work tirelessly to provide the quality magazine DAN members receive. They walked me through the general process of creating each publication, from scratch to final product. After lunch, I spent time with the Medicine department, where I learned about the origins of DAN and the crucial jobs the medics perform for divers in need. They spend most of their time answering calls regarding to diving injuries and emergencies, and helping connect divers in need of medical attention to nearby physicians, no matter how remote the incident. But the most important thing I learned is to never call the emergency hotline to renew your membership! The medics need to spend their valuable time helping those actually in need.
Wednesday was a busy day, spending my entire workday with the Research department. I got to meet with every member and they explained to me the types of projects they conduct to gather information and data about crucial dive medicine/safety topics. Prior to this trip, I was unaware of the width and breadth of research work DAN does; I had merely thought it was my dive insurance company! But to see that they are so actively involved in researching and pursuing topics pertinent to the recreational divers of today was hugely enlightening. It’s great to know that there is a company working hard to unravel some of the myths, misconceptions, and mysteries of the diving world and get this information back to the diving public.
Thursday was a day focused completely on finishing my Instructor training! Patty worked tirelessly with me to go through the requirements to be an Instructor for 7 of the courses offered by DAN. This involved mock teaching scenarios, going over important skills, and learning how to effectively lead a class. I really appreciated the chance to not only brush up on but also expand my repertoire of safety courses, and to do so at the beginning of my year put me in a much more conscientious mindset of diving safety for the rest of my adventures to come!
Lastly, Friday was spent getting a real look at one of the research projects DAN is involved with. I was invited by Dr. Neal Pollack to attend a study conducted at the Duke Hyperbaric Chamber for NASA, to study the incidents of DCS when astronauts are simulating a space walk in low altitude environments. I learned an incredible amount about hyperbaric and hypobaric chambers and their role not only in dive medicine, but also in a variety of other applications as well, from clinical treatments to space research! It was also a great chance to pick Dr. Pollack’s brain about anything and everything related to dive medicine and hyperbaric chambers. I left that day with more knowledge than I expected to pick up!
Although it was a short week with DAN, I was able to get instrumental training and information regarding diver safety and dive medicine. I left my time with DAN much more aware of the services they provide, not just as your insurance company, but as a reference for diving health/medical concerns and a database for information regarding dive medicine.
On my very last day in Durham, Patty took me to the Farmer’s Market, which happens every Saturday morning. But that Saturday just so happened to coincide with the Durham Art Walk, where local artists display their wares around the downtown area, free for anyone to peruse and buy. I really enjoyed spending the sunny Saturday morning walking around downtown Durham, getting a taste of the local flavor and meeting some really interesting folks in the community. I flew home that evening, knowing it was time to buckle down and brace myself for a hectic summer ahead!
I want to give a huge thanks to DAN and Patty Seery for hosting me right at the beginning of my year and welcoming me to the intelligent and diverse workforce at DAN.
