Dr. Petty graduated from the University of Colorado School of Medicine in 1958 and completed his internship at Philadelphia General Hospital, his residency at the University of Michigan, and a fellowship in pulmonary medicine at the University of Colorado (CU). He joined the CU faculty in 1962, eventually becoming head of the division of pulmonary medicine, a position he held between 1971 and 1983. He continues to serve the university today as professor of medicine and anesthesiology, and also holds academic positions at the University of Kansas and Rush–Presbyterian–St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago. He is a faculty consultant at HealthONE and a consultant to the Denver Veterans Administration Hospital.

In the mid-1970s, he spearheaded the Nocturnal Oxygen Therapy Trials, which set the scientific basis for oxygen as it is used today in patients with oxygen deficits due to COPD and related disorders.

Dr. Petty currently serves on the editorial boards of Postgraduate Medicine and Current Opinion in Pulmonary Medicine. He was senior editor of CHEST from 1970 to 1975, associate editor of the American Review of Respiratory Diseases from 1983 to 1990, and associate editor of RESPIRATORY CARE from 1970 to 1990. He has authored or co–authored more than 130 original investigations and is credited with developing one of the nation’s first pulmonary rehab programs.

A member of 20 professional organizations, Dr. Petty has won numerous awards over the years, including the University of Colorado’s Silver and Gold Award for Excellence, the American Association for Respiratory Care’s Jimmy A. Young Medal, and the American Thoracic Society’s Distinguished Achievement Award. He is a Master Fellow (MCCP) of the American College of Chest Physicians and a Master of the ACP (MACP).

In the 1990s, Dr. Petty founded the National Lung Health Education Program to promote the early detection and treatment of chronic obstructive lung disease. Working closely with the AARC and the nation’s respiratory therapists, he continues to advocate for respiratory patients both here and abroad.

Dr. Petty has authored Adventures of an Oxy-Phile, a book recounting the stories and science of supplemental oxygen, especially for “for and by patients who have learned to adapt to the need for supplemented oxygen.”