Diane Corcoran, R.N., Ph.D. Col. USA (Ret) is the current (2012) president of the International Association for Near-Death Studies (IANDS) organization. She received her Ph.D in Nursing management from the University of Texas in 1981. Corcoran's interest in near-death experiences developed from her combat nursing experience during the Vietnam War. She is now one of a number of nurses studying the phenomenon.