Dr. Karlman Wasserman served as the Chief of the Division of Respiratory and Critical Care Physiology and Medicine at the UCLA Harbor Hospital Medical Center in Torrance, CA from 1967-1997, where he continues his research and teaching. He is currently Professor Emeritus on Recall at the UCLA School of Medicine.
Dr. Wasserman was one of the pioneers who first used exercise testing to study the interaction of cardiovascular, ventilatory, and metabolic responses in humans. He has authored approximately 300 peer-reviewed journal articles, 5 books, one in its fifth edition, numerous book chapters, and scientific reviews in his professional career.
Dr. Wasserman is perhaps best known for describing the concept of measuring the “anaerobic threshold” by using ventilatory and cardiovascular gas exchange responses during exercise testing. He pointed out that the rate of buffering of the accumulating lactic acid should be observable in the exhaled gas and quantifiable, breath-by-breath.