Allart Venema, MD, is an anesthesiologist at the University Medical Center Groningen in the Netherlands with a special interest in emergency medicine and neuroanesthesiology.

Since childhood he has been a keen swimmer, and this interest lead to him becoming a certified and active lifeguard during his teenage years. He now has more than 15 years experience as a lifeguard, and as a leader of rescue teams. He has been involved in drowning research since he was a medical student. More recently he has been involved in the revision process of the Utstein Style For Drowning and in further drowning studies forming the core of his PhD program.