Dr Penny Sartori worked as an intensive care nurse for seventeen years, during which time she cared for many patients who were close to death. As a result of these experiences, she began researching near-death experiences (NDEs), culminating in the publication of her monograph The Near-Death Experiences of Hospitalized Intensive Care Patients: A Five Year Clinical Study published by the Edwin Mellen Press in 2008. Her work also gained her a PhD in 2005. She now works as a lecturer and consultant.