Bernd Driessen

Bernd Driessen is Professor of Anesthesiology at the School of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Pennsylvania. He received his DVM degree from Free University of Berlin in 1988 and then went on to complete a 3-year doctorate program at the same university in collaboration with Grünenthal Pharmaceuticals in Aachen, Germany. He obtained his Dr. med. vet. degree (Ph.D. equivalent) in Pharmacology from Free University of Berlin 1991. From 1991 to 1995 he held the position of an Assistant Professor of Pharmacology at the Albert-Ludwig’s University of Freiburg’s Medical School and obtained his board certification in pharmacology and toxicology from the German Veterinary Medical Association. In 1998, Bernd completed a residency in anesthesia & critical patient care at the School of Veterinary Medicine at University of California-Davis, where he stayed for another year as a fellow in small and large animal anesthesia before accepting an Assistant Professorship position at the University of Pennsylvania in fall of 1999.

Bernd is diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Pharmacology & Toxicology and the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia and a German Veterinary Medical Association-recognized specialist in veterinary pharmacology and toxicology (Fachtierarzt für Pharmakologie und Toxikologie) and veterinary anesthesia, intensive care, and pain management (Fachtierarzt für Anästhesiologie, Intensivmedizin und Schmerztherapie). His laboratory and clinical studies over the past 28 years have focused on effects and mechanisms of action of analgesics, hemoglobin-based blood substitutes and their effect on microcirculation and tissue oxygenation, new techniques of loco-regional analgesia, and gas exchange during anesthesia. For 15 years he has been the leader of the residency training program in anesthesia and for many years the director of the anesthesia core and large animal clinical anesthesia courses at the University of Pennsylvania. He has also designed and organized both in Europe, China, and North America training programs in small animal anesthesia, analgesia, and perioperative critical care for veterinarians and veterinary nurses that found international recognition by organizations such as the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia (ACVAA), the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists (AVA), the Academy of Veterinary Technicians in Anesthesia & Analgesia (AVTAA), the Austrian Veterinary Medical Association, and the Joint Commission of the German Veterinary Practioner Association and the Union For Medical, Dental, and Veterinary Assistants. Bernd has published numerous scientific articles, reviews, book chapters, abstracts, opinion papers, and proceedings in the fields of pharmacology and anesthesiology and is a common speaker at national and international conferences and has been invited as an anesthesia expert to a number of veterinary schools and private hospitals throughout Europe (see http://www.vettimes.co.uk/article/equine-anaesthesias-ongoing-evolution/), the Equine Hospital in Dubai (see http://www.lancasterfarming.com/assets/4614183/E35BTFS-060510_1.pdf) as well as the China Agricultural University's Veterinary Teaching Hospital (CAUVTH). He is a member of numerous scientific and professional societies including the American College of Veterinary Anesthesia & Analgesia, the Association of Veterinary Anaesthetists, the European College of Veterinary Pharmacology & Toxicology, the European Society of Veterinary Pharmacology & Toxicology, the German Society of Neuropharmacology, the German Veterinary Medical Society (DVG), and the German Equine Veterinary Association (GEVA) and served in a number of committees of these societies. Bernd is married and has a young son. He enjoys spending his spare time with his family doing outdoor actvities and travelling.