E. K. Gunderson Papers, 1943 to 2005 (bulk 1962-2003) (MSS 786)

Extent: 4.8 Linear feet (12 archives boxes and 1 oversize folder)

Papers of E. K. Gunderson, psychologist, former director of the United States Navy's Naval Heath Research Center in San Diego, CA, and an important contributor to the field of Antarctic psychology.

Ellsworth Kermit Eric Gunderson was born on September 18, 1923 in Max Bass, North Dakota to Halver and Elvina Gunderson. After military service in the medical corps of the 11th Armored Division during World War II, Gunderson attended UC Los Angeles for both his undergraduate and graduate career, majoring in psychology. At UCLA he received a Bachelor of Arts in 1948, a Master's degree in 1951, and earned his PhD in 1953.

Gunderson spent the majority of his professional career at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) in Point Loma, San Diego from its inception in the early 1960s when it was known as the Navy's Medical Neuropsychiatric Research Unit, up to the late 1980s when he served as Scientific Director. During the span of over 30 years, Gunderson's major research contributions were in the field of Antarctic psychology, studying human adaptation in isolation and confinement. His research was later applied to NASA astronauts and long-term space missions. With data collected during polar, naval and space expeditions, Gunderson and his colleagues published over two hundred reports and articles. Gunderson also edited the book, Human Adaptability to Antarctic Conditions published in 1974, and co-authored Life Stress and Illness, and he was a contributor to From Antarctica to Outer Space: Life in Isolation and Confinement among other published works on topics relating to clinical psychology, personality theory, physiological psychology, adaptability, and statistics. Gunderson taught at UC San Diego in the Department of Psychiatry in the School of Medicine, and was appointed Adjunct Professor in 1971 and Adjunct Clinical Professor in 1975.

Throughout Gunderson's long and distinguished career, he received many acknowledgments for his research contributions to the field of psychology. He was elected Fellow of the American Psychological Association in 1971, appointed to the Panel on Biological and Medical Sciences, Committee on Polar Research with the National Academy of Sciences in 1973, was awarded the Distinguished Civilian Service Award from the Secretary of the Navy in March 1977 and again in June 1989, and was awarded the Society of Navy General Preventive Medicine Officers' Albert Leary Gihon Lifetime Achievement Award in 1995.

Gunderson died on November 10, 2015.

Papers of E. K. Gunderson, psychologist, former director of the United States Navy's Naval Heath Research Center in San Diego, CA, and an important contributor to the field of Antarctic psychology. The organization and numbering reflects the original order of his files, with Gunderson's tabs indicating his preferred subdivisions of files.

Arranged in three series: A) BIOGRAPHICAL, B) WRITINGS, and C) RESEARCH.

Container List

BIOGRAPHICAL

Scope and Content of Series

A) BIOGRAPHICAL: Contains material relating to Gunderson's education, professional experience and professional achievements, and includes diplomas, certificates and awards, and appointments.

A. Education

Box 1 Folder 1
PhD thesis - Autonomic Balance in Schizophrenia; Final examination for PhD, announcement, 1953 June
Oversize FB-515 Folder 15
Diplomas - Undergraduate and graduate degrees, UCLA, 1948-1953

B. Professional Experience

Box 1 Folder 2
World War II service - U.S. Army honorable discharge papers, and article about the Gunderson family war effort, 1943-1946
Box 1 Folder 3
Professional Psychologist Certification, 1959
Box 1 Folder 4
Hospital evaluations, memos and notes. Gunderson was member of Evaluation Task Force, 1975-1980
Box 1 Folder 5
Appointment as Chief Scientist, 1986
Box 1 Folder 6
Application as Consultant, 1996

C. Professional Standing

Box 1 Folder 7
U.S. Naval Board of Civil Services Examiners materials, 1962
Box 1 Folder 8
Paul Nelson and E.K. Gunderson, article in the Evening Tribune, 1962 August 21
Box 1 Folder 9-10
Certificates - American Psychological Association Fellowship; San Diego County Psychological Association, 1971
Box 1 Folder 11
Supergrade positions in the Navy R&D Community, 1978
Box 1 Folder 12
Appointment to Senior Executive Service, correspondence, 1979
Box 1 Folder 13
National Research Council Correspondence, 1988
Box 1 Folder 14
U.S. Navy Civilian Service Awards, 1970, 1989
Oversize FB-515 Folder 15
U. S. Navy Civilian Service Awards, oversized, 1970-1977
Box 1 Folder 15
Albert Leary Gihon Award, 1995
Box 1 Folder 16
Naval Health Research Center: Thirty-Year Review, 1999
Box 1 Folder 17
Curriculum Vitae, ca. 1999
Box 1 Folder 18
UCSD appointment correspondence, 2004

WRITINGS

Scope and Content of Series

B) WRITINGS: A selection of Gunderson's written and co-authored reports and writings, as well as his written scientific contributions at professional conferences and briefings. Includes reports arranged by number in chronological order, notes, talks, and some related correspondence.

D.1. Numbered Reports and Publications

Box 1 Folder 19
Selected Bibliography of Naval Health Research Center Reports, 1962-1985
Box 1 Folder 20
Bibliography of Fleet Studies, Fleet Medical Branch, E. K. Gunderson and colleagues, ca. 1969-1980
Box 2 Folder 1-47
Reports (arranged chronologically by number), 1962-1972

Includes: 62-2, 4, 10; 63-8, 19; 64-14, 18, 23, 25; 65-2, 7, 10, 25; 66-15, 17, 24; 67-3, 5, 20, 22; 68-4, 13; 69-31, 34; 70-1, 2, 8, 15, 26, 27, 37; 71-1, 2, 5, 8, 11, 14, 17, 24, 27, 28, 33, 36, 39, 47, 57; 72-1, 4.

Box 3 Folder 1-43
Reports, 1972-1975

Includes: 72-8, 11, 15, 29, 33, 36, 39, 44, 46, 48; 73-12, 14, 20, 23, 24, 25, 28, 34, 41, 42, 59; 74-1, 5, 19, 23, 28, 29, 33; 75-8, 9, 11, 15, 16, 19, 20, 21, 22, 25, 33, 34, 37, 50, 54.

Box 4 Folder 1-36
Reports, 1975-1989

Includes: 75-62, 64, 79, 80; 76-8, 10, 16, 40, 63, 66, 70, 81; 77-3, 16, 23; 78-9, 47, 48, 55, 60, 61; 79-4; 80-10, 17, 33; 81-5, 35; 82-1, 9, 18; 84-52; 87-8; 88-17, 21; 89-5, 8.

Box 5 Folder 1-6
Reports, 1989-2000

Includes: 89-58 (Part 1 & 2); 98-3, 17; 00-10; 02-09.

Box 5 Folder 7-12
Reports: DI-cs, cx, dn, fj, ft, hss, 1972-2005
Box 5 Folder 13
Attrition by condition for Navy, sample collected at recruit training commands, ca. 1960-1995
Box 5 Folder 14
Man in isolation and/or enclosed space, 1969
Box 5 Folder 15
New approaches to alcoholism in the US Navy, ca. 1976
Box 5 Folder 16
Organization, Environment, and Work Performance: A Social Systems Approach, 1976
Box 5 Folder 17
Physical Environments, Habitability, Perceptions, and Health, 1976
Box 5 Folder 18
Epidemiological models of value for clinical service and management of Navy health care systems: Examples from inpatient and outpatient data, 1980
Box 5 Folder 19
Nonpsychotic disorders, 1980-1988
Box 5 Folder 20
Epidemiologic and Longitudinal Research in the 1980s and in US Navy, ca. 1980-1989
Box 5 Folder 21
Women's Health in the U.S. Navy: Complications of Pregnancy and Childbirth, 1985-1994
Box 6 Folder 1-2
NASA In-House Working Group on Psychiatric Selection Procedures for Astronaut Candidates, 1988
Box 6 Folder 3
Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP), report and correspondence, 1988-1989
Box 6 Folder 4
Health Surveillance in the US Navy: Sleep Apnea, 1990-1995
Box 6 Folder 5
Cardiac Disease and Physical Readiness Testing: Critical Review from an All-Cause Mortality Perspective, 1993-1994
Box 6 Folder 6
Report on Attrition, codes and tables, 1994-1995
Box 6 Folder 7-8
Mental Illness in the US Navy and Marine Corps, 1995-1996
Box 6 Folder 9
Epidemiology of the Psychoses in the US Navy, 1998
Box 6 Folder 10
Burden of Disease in the US Navy, 1999
Box 6 Folder 11
Predictors of Behavior and Performance in Extreme Environments: The Antarctic Space Analogue Program, 2000
Box 6 Folder 12
Behavior and Performance on Long-Duration Space Flight: Evidence from Analogue Environments, 2000
Box 6 Folder 13
The Epidemiology of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) in the US Navy, 2002
Box 6 Folder 14
The Epidemiology of Personality Disorders in the US Navy, 2003
Box 6 Folder 15
Hospitalization Rates in the US Navy, ca. 2003
Box 6 Folder 16
Testicular cancer research and reports, 2004
Box 6 Folder 17
A Reluctant Soldier, undated

D.2. Scientific Contributions

Box 7 Folder 1
Presentation at Annual Meeting of American Psychological Association, 1958
Box 7 Folder 2
US Army Medical Command (MEDCOM) Briefing (Commodore Summit), ca. 1960
Box 7 Folder 3
Symposium on Experimental Neuro- and Psychology in Occupational Health, Includes report # 66-23, 1966
Box 7 Folder 4
Personal History Questionnaires (PHQ) and evaluation forms, 1967-1968
Box 7 Folder 5
1st Habitability Conference, 1970
Box 7 Folder 6
Symposium on Life, Stress, and Illness, 1972
Box 7 Folder 7
NATO Conference Utilization of Human Resources, 1973
Box 7 Folder 8
4th West Coast Preventative Medicine Seminar, 1977
Box 7 Folder 9
8th Annual Meeting of Association of Military Surgeons of US - San Diego, 1979
Box 7 Folder 10
22nd and 24th Navy Occupational Health Workshops, 1980-1982
Box 7 Folder 11
BuMed Conference - Organizational Effectiveness Program, 1980
Box 8 Folder 1
IBEA Working Group, 1982
Box 8 Folder 2
Colloquium - Computers, Medicine and Epidemiology, 1983
Box 8 Folder 3
Transport Research and Innovation Monitoring and Information System (TRIMIS) and the Navy workshops, 1983
Box 8 Folder 4
69th Annual American Occupational Health Conference, includes report # 84-15, 1984
Box 8 Folder 5
Conference in San Diego, 1984
Box 8 Folder 6
3rd Annual Conference on System in Health Care, includes report # 84-52, 1984
Box 8 Folder 7
Federal Health Services Conference, 1985
Box 8 Folder 8
Laboratory Review of the Naval Biodynamic Laboratory (NBDL), 1986
Box 8 Folder 9
Trip Report for Regional Training Conference of the Defense Medical Systems Support Center, 1986
Box 8 Folder 10
Briefing of Admiral Sears on accidents, 1986
Box 8 Folder 11
National Academy of Science Conference on Epidemiology in Military and Veteran Populations, 1987
Box 8 Folder 12
NRC Medical Follow-Up Conference Itinerary, 1987
Box 8 Folder 13
Colloquium: Human Factors Research in Antarctica, 1988
Box 8 Folder 14
Conference on Stress and Degradation of Military Performance, 1989
Box 8 Folder 15
Committee on Space Biology and Medicine, Space Studies Board, National Research Council National Academy of Sciences, 1991
Box 8 Folder 16
NASA launch announcement and signed photograph to Gunderson from astronaut J. M. Linenger, 1992
Box 8 Folder 17
Feasibility Study for NASA workshop, 1995

RESEARCH

Scope and Content of Series

C) RESEARCH: Arranged by Gunderson's projects. Includes AIDS and HIV research, research on missing data abroad Naval ships; material from his many years at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) including Gunderson's writings on the history of NHRC; and his work on various electronic data collection systems, including CHAMPS, EPISYS, NOHIMS and other data collection systems.

Major Projects

E.1. HIV/AIDS Research

Box 8 Folder 18
AIDS briefing for the Surgeon General, 1986
Box 8 Folder 19
AIDS RDDB Working Group, 1988
Box 8 Folder 20
AIDS research, memorandum, 1987-1989
Box 9 Folder 1-2
AIDS research, memorandum, 1987-1989

E.2. Missing Data

Box 9 Folder 3
Hospitalization rates aboard nuclear and non-nuclear aircraft carriers, ca. 1990-1999
Box 9 Folder 4
Hospital admission data from Navy medical files, memos, ca. 1995-2001
Box 9 Folder 5
Missing data, ships, ca. 1999-2001
Box 9 Folder 6-9
Missing data problem chronology, memos, 2000-2006

E.3. Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) History

Box 10 Folder 1
Antarctic photographs, and Health Survey, NHRC, 1957-1964
Box 10 Folder 2
Memos, news clippings and interviews, 1960-2002
Box 10 Folder 3
Naval Health Research Center (NHRC) history, Neuropsychiatric Research Unit reports, 1960-1966
Box 10 Folder 4-7
Five-year research plan, NHRC, ca. 1960-1993
Box 10 Folder 8
Proposed role of NHRC, 1974-1977
Box 10 Folder 9
Human Performance Program Review, 1979
Box 10 Folder 10
Biomedical Research: A ten-year plan, 1980
Box 10 Folder 11
Program objectives and anticipated end products, 1980
Box 10 Folder 12
The Establishment of an Occupational Health and Epidemiology Department with NHRC, San Diego, ca. 1980-1992
Box 10 Folder 13
NHRC/NEHC, minutes of joint meeting, 1985
Box 10 Folder 14
35th Anniversary of NHRC, memo, 1994
Box 10 Folder 15
A History of Psychological and Medical Research at the Naval Health Research Center (NHRC), E. K. Gunderson and Paul D. Nelson, 2001-2004
Box 10 Folder 16
Career Histories of Navy Personnel Diagnoses with Personality Disorders, NHRC study, 2002
Box 10 Folder 17
Leadership and Research Productivity in a Military Setting, by E. K. Gunderson, 2003

Electronic Data Systems

F.1. CHAMPS (Career History Archival Medical and Personnel System)

Box 11 Folder 1
Champs: Navy Occupations (codes from database), ca. 1995
Box 11 Folder 2
Epidemiological guide to Champs, 1996-2003
Box 11 Folder 3
General model for presentations of epidemiological results, 1996-2003
Box 11 Folder 4
Champs brief report
Box 11 Folder 5
Champs: Charter for next generation database information, 2000-2001
Box 11 Folder 6
A Brief History of Champs, 2000
Box 11 Folder 7
Champs for Homeland Security, 2002
Box 11 Folder 8
Champs: Data Resource for Cancer, Chronic Disease and other Epidemiological Research, Report No. 02-06, 2000-2002
Box 11 Folder 9-10
Champs: Notes (burns, surgery); documentation review

F.2. Electronic - Data Systems: EPISYS (Epidemiological Interactive System)

Box 11 Folder 11
EPISYS correspondence, Dr. Garland, 1995
Box 11 Folder 12
EPISYS (Epidemiological Interactive System), Technical Document (User's Guide) 97-1A and notes, 1996

F.3. Electronic - Data System: Naval Occupational Health Information Management Systems (NOHIMS)

Box 11 Folder 13
NOHIMS Health Information, 1980-1990
Box 12 Folder 1
NOHIMS Health Information, 1981-1984

F.4. Electronic - Data Systems: Other

Box 12 Folder 2
Development of Medical Data Systems for Risk Assessment, ca. 1980
Box 12 Folder 3
The Interim Navy Medical Mental Health Information System (NAMHIS), ca. 1980
Box 12 Folder 4
Department of the Navy SECNAV Instruction - Inpatient data system, 1985
Box 12 Folder 5
SNAP Automated Medical System (SAMS) review, undated
Box 12 Folder 6-7
Navy Medical Information Systems, 1981-1987
Box 12 Folder 8
DMED (Defense Medical Epidemiologic Databases), 1999-2002