International Association for Near-death Studies
| Abbreviation | IANDS |
|---|---|
| Formation | 1981 |
| Legal status | Non-profit organisation |
| Purpose | Near-death studies |
| Location |
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|
Region served
|
Worldwide |
|
Membership
|
Differentiated: Life, Benefactor, Patron, Sponsor, Professional, Supporting, Basic. |
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President
|
Diane Corcoran (2008-) |
|
Main organ
|
IANDS Board of Directors |
| Website | IANDS |
The International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) is a non-profit organization based in Durham, North Carolina in the United States, associated with the academic field of near-death studies. The Association was founded in the USA in 1981, in order to study and provide information on the phenomena of the near death experience (NDE). Today it has grown into an international organization, which includes a network of more than 50 local interest groups, and approximately 850 members worldwide. Local chapters, and support groups, are established in major U.S cities. IANDS also supports and assists near-death experiencers (NDErs) and people close to them. In one of its publications the organization has formulated its vision as one of building "global understanding of near-death and near-death-like experiences through research, education, and support".
The organization was originally known as the Association for the Scientific Study of Near-Death Phenomena. This group was founded by researchers John Audette, Bruce Greyson, Kenneth Ring and Michael Sabom in 1978. The first president of this association was John Audette, who later served as executive director. In 1981 the organization changed its name to the International Association for Near-Death Studies (also known as IANDS). A headquarter was established in Connecticut, and was affiliated with the University of Connecticut, Storrs. Offices were administered by Nancy Evans Bush, who later served as executive director.
Past presidents of IANDS also include researchers Kenneth Ring and Bruce Greyson, who served as Presidents in the early 1980s. The presidencies of Ring and Greyson (1981–83) marked the beginning of professional research on the topic of NDE's, leading up to the establishment of the Journal of Near-Death Studies in 1982. Greyson later served as director of research at IANDS. During the presidency of John Alexander, in 1984, the organization held its first research conference in Farmington (CT),.
Elizabeth Fenske took over the presidency from John Alexander in 1986, and was involved in the relocation of the main office to Philadelphia in the late 1980s. The end of the decade also marked a period of outreach for IANDS. Local branches were established in major U.S cities, and the first national IANDS conference was held at Rosemont College (PA) in 1989. In the period from 1992-2008 IANDS-offices were administered by external service providers.
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