Colorado and altitude

Colorado has a rich history in altitude research.  Organized, effective high altitude research began in Colorado in 1911 with the Anglo-American Expedition to Pikes Peak, composed of scientists from Oxford University in England, and Yale and Colorado College in the United States.  This team of scientists established the basic principals of ventilatory acclimatization to altitude.

In the 1950s a University of Colorado School of Medicine scientist named John Lichty discovered that babies born at altitude have a lower birht weight. This can have health implications for the rest of their lives.

Colorado Altitude Research Institute

In the 1990s, the first organization to try to integrate altitude investigation, education and clinical activity was initiated—the Colorado Altitude Research Institute (CARI).  Their investigations of travelers to Colorado led to the largest survey of this type and showed that 25% of tourists to the Colorado Mountains get Acute Mountain Sickness (AMS).

From CARI to ARC

Dr. Benjamin Honigman and Dr. Robert Roach have participated in some of the key research done in Colorado in the last 20 years, and were both active in CARI. In 2002 they realized that the time had come to integrate and coordinate the many interested people on the four University of Colorado campuses, other educational institutions, citizen's groups, and even economic interests by developing the Colorado Center for Altitude Medicine and Physiology (CCAMP).  Drs. Honigman and Roach served CCAMP as the initial Director and Co-Director, respectively. In 2006 CCAMP changed its name into Altitude Research Center.

ARC and ARC-F

In the fall of 2007 the Board of ARC decided it would be better able to provide support and funding for ARC being a separate entity rather than an Advisory Board. Thus, in December 2007 the ARC-Foundation was established and in March 2008 the Foundation received tax-exempt status under section 501(c)3 of the Internal Revenue Code.