Papers of John Burnard West (b. 1928), professor of physiology, researcher in high-altitude medicine and adaptation, author, and leader of the 1981 American Medical Research Expedition to Mount Everest (AMREE). West participated in Sir Edmund Hillary's 1960-1961 Himalayan Scientific and Mountaineering Expedition (Silver Hut). West has been an active faculty member in the Division of Physiology at the University of California, San Diego, School of Medicine since 1969. The papers document the AMREE expedition, including correspondence, planning materials, photographs, diaries and audio recordings, as well as West's physiology research projects for the NASA Spacelab Life Sciences program. The bulk of the papers date from the early 1960s to the early 2000s and include correspondence, drafts of books and articles, research files, talks and lectures, teaching and administrative materials, and audio recordings.

John Burnard West was born in Adelaide, Australia in 1928. He received a MBBS medical degree in 1951 and an M.D. in 1958, both from the University of Adelaide. After a year of residency, he moved to London, where he earned his Ph.D. from London University in 1960 and began postdoctoral work at the Royal Postgraduate Medical School. West's early research used the oxygen-15 isotope to study the topographical inequality of blood flow caused by gravity and gravity's effect on regional differences of ventilation, gas exchange, and alveolar size.

68.5 Linear feet (164 archives boxes, 8 oversize folders, 1 record carton, and 1 card file box)

Publication rights are held by the creator of the collection.

Course examination materials in boxes 113-115 are restricted by donor. Original audiovisual media and unprocessed digital media are restricted. Researchers may inquire about access to these materials in advance of their visit.