A Tribute to Richard Neubauer, MD.
The Father of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for the Brain
Richard Allen Neubauer, M.D., internationally recognized pioneer in
the application of hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT) for a variety of
neurologic and related disorders, died on June 11, 2007. He remained
active with research and clinical work until the last few weeks of his
life and died at his home in Pompano Beach, FL. Dr. Neubauer became
interested in potential applications of HBOT during the early 1970s, at
which time he acquired a hyperbaric oxygen chamber. He went on to
establish and direct the Ocean Hyperbaric Neurologic Center in
Lauderdale-by-the-Sea, FL, where he treated people coming to the Center
from throughout the world. His research and clinical practice led to the
conclusion that with a hyperbaric chamber, pressurized oxygen could be
provided to damaged central nervous system neurons and help restore
their function. Among the conditions researched and treated at the
Center have been multiple sclerosis, near drowning, cerebral palsy,
traumatic brain injury, anoxic encephalopathy, coma, and stroke. A
recent focus has been the treatment of severely afflicted children with
mitochondrial diseases.
His international reputation led to invitations to speak at numerous
scientific meetings throughout the world. His travels as a lecturer on
hyperbaric medicine included Europe, Asia, Africa, South American, and
Australia. He also hosted six international hyperbaric oxygen symposia
in South Florida. He was the author of Hyperbaric Oxygenation for
Cerebral Palsy and the Brain Injured Child: A Promising Treatment and
was coauthor of Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy. He has appeared on The Today
Show, The Discovery Channel and countless national and international
news broadcasts. He also wrote numerous book chapters and scientific
articles on the treatment of neurologic conditions with hyperbaric
oxygen.
His letters and articles appeared in many scientific journals, including JAMA, Lancet, Stroke, The New England Journal of Medicine, The British Medical Journal and American Family Physician. Dr. Neubauer was dedicated to advancing knowledge about the potential of HBOT and he personally trained many physicians from around the US and multiple other countries. As a result, many patients even in the far corners of the world have benefited from this safe and effective type of therapy.
He was a native of Wilmington, DE. He attended the College of William and Mary, where he was elected to the Phi Beta Kappa honorary society. He completed his medical training at the University of Virginia in 1947 and was elected to Alpha Omega Alpha (honorary medical). He was involved in research and clinical medical practice in Wilmington and Philadelphia before relocating with his family to South Florida in 1962. There he developed a thriving practice in internal medicine and was instrumental in the establishment of Beach Hospital (later Cleveland Clinic) in Fort Lauderdale where he served as Chief of Staff and Director of Medical Development. Among his many honors was his election to the Royal Society of Medicine. He was a founder of the American College of Hyperbaric Medicine and a member of the World Federation of Neurology Executive Committee on Underwater Medicine. He is survived by the love of his life, his inspiration and his soul mate; his wife of 61 years, Winnie "Winkie" Isabelle Neubauer; four children, Richard Allen Neubauer, Jr. of Marysville, CA, David N. Neubauer of Baltimore, MD, Virginia Isabelle Neubauer Reilly of Margate, FL, and Marion Elizabeth Neubauer of Fort Lauderdale, FL; as well as two grandchildren, Rebecca Lynne Neubauer and Robert Martin Neubauer, living in Maryland.