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Dr.
John Lane
Class of 1987
Background:
John C. Lane, M.D., was born January 9, 1918, in Sydney, New
South Wales, Australia. He received his M.B., B.S.* degree
from the University of Sydney in 1941, and a Master of Public
Health degree in 1958 from Harvard University, Cambridge,
Massachusetts, USA. *Australian academic practice is to award
a double bachelors degree (Bachelor of Medicine, Bachelor
of Surgery, i.e. M.B., B.S.) to medical graduates. The M.D.
is a higher degree awarded after the presentation of a thesis.
Professional
Experience:
Dr. Lane trained initially as a physician in Australia. He
served during the war years (1942-46) in the R.A.A.F., before
joining the Department of Civil Aviation, where he was to
become its director of aviation medicine. Following the concepts
of Hugh deHaven, Dr. Lane pioneered the application of crash-worthiness
principles to both aircraft, and later, cars. He was instrumental
in initiating the vehicle safety standards of Australia.
In 1957,
as a Harkness Commonwealth Fund Fellow, he attended Harvard
and obtained his M.P.H. He later worked on aircraft flying
aids. With Ronald W. Cumming, he was responsible for T-VASIS,
the visual approach slope indicator system, now used widely
throughout the Western Pacific. Beyond such specific achievements,
Dr. Lane pioneered the application of the scientific approach
to the prevention of traffic injuries, the evaluation of programs
through cost effectiveness criteria, and the education of
professionals in crash investigation, evaluation and research.
He was a pioneer of the development of ergonomics ("human
factors") in Australia.
Career
Highlights:
Dr. Lane served on numerous committees and boards at the national
and international levels, including: Road Trauma Committee,
Royal Australasian College of Surgeons (1984); Advisory Committee
on Safety in Vehicle Design (formulated design rules of FMVSS)(1966-82);
Chairman, Committee on Motorcyclist Helmets, Standard Association
of Australia (1968-81); Human Factors Committee, Australian
Road Research Board (1961-79); served as a medical monitor
at tracking stations in Australia during the early part of
the United States manned space flight program; member, ICAO
Study Group of Medical Requirements (1978); delegate, ILO
Technical Meeting in Civil Aviation, Geneva (1977); and Australian
delegate, ICAO Special Meeting on Visual and Hearing Requirements,
Paris (1955). He served as a councillor on the Victorian Section
of the Royal Flying Doctor Service. He made many presentations
and published more than 100 papers and publications. A few
of the titles include: "Alcohol and Transport Safety
- Analysis of the Options"; "Factors Influencing
Crash Injury in General Aviation Aircraft"; and "Cigarette
Smoking and Blood Pressure in Pilots."
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