Mission
The IIAS Space Medicine Group (SMG) represents professionals within the PoSSUM community working on research, education and health initiatives in space and terrestrial medicine and health. SMG is currently working on three initiatives: 1) the Space Medicine Working Group (SMWG), 2) the Health Task Force (HTF), and 3) the ‘Astronaut Mentality’ educational outreach initiative.
Space Medicine Working Group
SMWG aims to catalyze the development of knowledge, data, testing, protocols, tools and technologies that will positively contribute to the development of operational space medicine, safety and rescue operations, physiology, countermeasures and mitigation by developing protocols and tests for PoSSUM’s wide variety of research activities.
COVID-19 Health Task Force
There is a lot of uncertainty and emerging data around the novel coronavirus at this time, and there is a need for trusted sources and information. The COVID-19 Health Task Force (HTF) consists of doctors, nurses and epidemiologists within the PoSSUM community working together to compile an ever-growing list of trusted international and national resources and guidelines.
The Astronaut Mentality
What do life in space and life in a pandemic have in common? A lot, as it turns out – and we have lessons to share! Watch our continuing daily webinar series as pilots, doctors, scientists and explorers from the IIAS community share their lessons of resilience, resourcefulness, emergency preparedness, tough situations – while challenging the audience to participate as well!
The Astronaut Mentality Webinar Series
Is isolation making you anxious? Project PoSSUM will be sharing a series of webinars that are FREE and available to the general public starting this 8 April. Click on the ‘LOGIN NOW’ link or dial-in at the number provided to join your hosts Dr. Shawna Pandya and Shayla Redmond each weekday at 11AM Eastern Daylight Time (EDT) to talk with our panelists and take part in the discussion! We use GotoMeeting as our online webinar platform – to get the app, visit HERE
| DATE | TOPIC | LOGIN INFO | MODERATOR | KEYNOTE | REACTION |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Wed, Apr 8, 2020 11AM (EDT) | The Astronaut Mentality: Resilience, Coping and Being a Space MacGvyer | WATCH HERE | Shayla Redmond | Dr. Shawna Pandya | Kyle Foster Johannes Svensoy Morgan Kainu Robert Malakhov |
| Thu, Apr 9, 2020 11AM (EDT) | The Astronaut Mentality Pt II: Lessons Learned from Previous Selections | WATCH HERE | Dr. Shawna Pandya | Dr. Sian Proctor | Dr. Sian Proctor Dr. Ulyana Horodyskyj Dr. Aaron Persad Bailey Burns |
| Fri, Apr 10, 2020 11AM (EDT) | Is anybody out there? Lessons on Isolation from “Mars," Analog and ICE Environments | WATCH HERE | Bailey Burns | Megan Kane | Dr. Sian Proctor Aimee Valliere Kyle Foster |
| Mon, Apr 13, 2020 11AM (EDT) | How not to get voted of the hab: expeditionary behavior, teamwork and leadership | WATCH HERE | Shayla Redmond | Casey Stedman | Dr. Shawna Pandya Matt Wise Kyle Foster Robert Malakhov |
| Tue, Apr 14, 2020 11AM (EDT) | 30 seconds to OUT THE DOOR: Emergency preparedness and what's in your go-bag? | WATCH HERE | Dr. Sian Proctor | Matt Wise Dara Dotz | Yvette Gonzalez Anthony Navarro Lee Roberts Valerie Richard |
| Wed, Apr 15, 2020 11AM (EDT) | Operational environments, risk analysis and critical decision-making in tight spots | WATCH HERE | Dr. Shawna Pandya | Lee Roberts Dr. Rui Moura | Matt Wise Richard Blakeman Anthony Navarro |
| Thu, Apr 16, 2020 11AM (EDT) | Fueling the fire: Nutrition for space...and quarantine? | WATCH HERE | Megan Kane | Dr. Sian Proctor | Aimee Valliere Matt Wise Starr Schroeder |
| Fri, Apr 17, 2020 11AM (EDT) | As above, so below: lessons from the water world for space and isolation | WATCH HERE | Anthony Navarro | Stephen Daire Matt Harasymczuk | Dr. Shawna Pandya Kyle Foster Dr. Jason Reimuller Ken Trujillo |
| Mon, Apr 20, 2020 11AM (EDT) | No human is an island...but life support systems should come close | WATCH HERE | Dr. Rui Moura | Ken Trujillo | Dr. Jason Reimuller Dr. Aaron Persad Ted Southern |
| Tue, Apr 21, 2020 11AM (EDT) | Is anybody out there part 2? Lessons from ICE environments on communication, diversity and outreach/ Show wrap-up | WATCH HERE | Shayla Redmond | Bailey Burns Morgan Kainu | Dr. Jason Reimuller Nic Nelson Dr. Carlos Salicrup |
IIAS Health Task Force Members
Johannes Svensoy
Dr Svensøy (Johannes Nordsteien) is a licensed physician who has specialized in Disaster medicine EMDM (European Master in Disaster Medicine). Currently, he is working in Covid-19 response at Oslo University Hospital Infectious disease department. Humanitarian, adventure, expedition and extreme medicine have been his main interest fields for many years, being a rescue diver, skydiver and active mountaineer. This interest was leading into further training in Tropical medicine, along with Pre-Hospital, Maritime, Offshore and Aviation Medicine.
Throughout his career he has conducted several humanitarian missions on the Thai-Burmese border, working at the Mae Tao Clinic at the Surgical-Trauma unit. He has published as first author in World Journal of Urology based on research at The Mae Tao Clinic, and presented research on reporting after Major Incidents, Mass Casualty Incidents and Disasters.
MOREStarr Schroeder
Starr Schroeder graduated from Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing in 1999. Her nursing experience includes critical care, emergency nursing, and nursing management. Additionally she has experience in nursing research as a Research Assistant on the RESTORE Pediatric Sedation Study, and nursing education as the Chair for the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit (PICU) Clinical Education Committee as well as benchmarking, informing and developing PICU bedside nursing protocol and the bedside clinical reference manual for Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy at Children’s Memorial Hospital in Chicago.
She graduated from the Project PoSSUM Advanced Academy in 2018 and currently serves as a PoSSUM 13 ambassador a group of thirteen female PoSSUM scientist-astronaut candidates who serve as global ambassadors in increasing opportunity and representation for women and students in STEM. Starr is a member of the Association of Spaceflight Professionals where she is co-lead for research involving medical guidelines in commercial space flight participants. Her team presented “Medical Guidelines for Commercial Space Flight: A Review” at the International Astronautical Congress in October 2019. In addition, she is a member of the Aerospace Medical Association, National Space Society, Wilderness Medical Society, and the Moon Village Association. She is a Masters candidate in the Human Factors in Aerospace program at Embry- Riddle Aeronautical University. Her publications include chapters on Spaceflight Nutritional Support, Future Trends in Spacesuits, as well as The Lunar Environment in the Handbook of Life Support Systems for Spacecraft and Extraterrestrial Habitats (in review). Starr has become an active participant in the space medicine community and is involved in multiple collaborations including research related to ECG changes during parabolic flight and spacesuit life support systems testing with Final Frontier Design to achieve her goal of incorporating her experience in medicine into her love for space by pioneering, defining, and developing the role of nursing in the commercial space industry as well as advocating for the continued development of space medicine in current and future space exploration.
MORECarlos Salicrup
Dr. Salicrup is one of the few Pilot-Physicians in the world, attended simultaneously medical school and flight academy as he was part time working as a ground-flight paramedics, and thereafter as a professional pilot. Attended the School of Aerospace medicine during a partial study leave while he was flying MD-80s. He graduated from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) School of Medicine, Master of Science and Aerospace Medicine degree from NASA´s sponsored Wright State University School of Aerospace Medicine, still holds an advanced paramedic certification and is one of the youngest designated Fellows of the Aerospace Medical Association. He is a US FAA Senior Aviation Medical Examiner, Transport Canada Civil Aviation Medical Examiner and a US Veterans evaluation services provider.
Carlos is a POSSUM Scientist-Astronaut candidate, his career is strengthened through more than 25 years of experience in one of the busiest pre-hospital emergency medical care systems. With experience alongside the NASA-KSC medical team during the Space Shuttle Program at launches, landings, drills and ongoing experiments. He is also involved in Zero gravity flights for anaesthesia research and medical devices development for deep space and interplanetary missions. He participates in Moon and Mars analogue missions as an analogue astronaut, mission commander, medical team leader, mission doctor, and flight surgeon. Capt. Salicrup has logged over 9,000 hours of flight, mainly flying McDonnell Douglas and Boeing airframes, he was one of the first pilots to fly the Boeing 787 “Dreamliner”, mainly for transoceanic and long haul flights, nowadays he performs as a Boeing 737 MAX/NG Captain-Flight Commander for the “Sky Team” founder Aeromexico, where he has been professionaly flying for 20 years. His experience includes: First Officer; Captain; Flight Instructor and maintenance Test Pilot positions in jet and turboprop airplanes. His duties also include fatigue research and prevention, aircraft accident investigator, aerospace epidemiology and pilot mental health. He is a Professor in aerospace medicine residency and related courses. Carlos participated in the foundation of the Mexican Space Agency, was part of the group that developed the national space policies, he created the aerospace medicine chapter and performed as member of the Mexican Space Agency Government Board. He is the President of the Iberoamerican Aerospace Medical Association, former president of the International Association of Military Flight Surgeon-Pilots, Mexican Association of Aviation and Space Medicine former President and the Aerospace Medical Association Safety Committee Chairman. Carlos participates as race track pit lane and medical car doctor in the FIA F1 championship as well as the Fe and WEC series, he enjoys his free time volunteering as a Red Cross ALS ambulance doctor and instructor, he is an advanced-depth diver and performs mechanics, electronics and total restoration of classic and muscle cars.
MOREAaron Persad
Dr. Aaron Persad completed his B.A.Sc. in 2006 at the University of Toronto (UofT) in the biomedical stream of Engineering Science. His undergraduate thesis with the Bone Interface Group at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering investigated the effects of Shuttle launch vibrations on the proliferation, viability and conformation of stem cells derived from human umbilical cords.
He completed his Ph. D. in statistical thermodynamics and quantum mechanics in 2014 at the UofT. There, he investigated heat transport mechanisms for both ground and space applications cumulating in two launches of his payloads to the International Space Station. Dr. Persad is currently a Postdoctoral Associate in Mechanical Engineering at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) where he is developing nanotechnologies for purification, dialysis treatment and fusion reactors. He served on MIT’s ethics review board on the use of humans for research. He is also the Director of Bioastronautics for Project PoSSUM, member of the Association of Spaceflight Professionals, and is Co-founder of Mission: Space Food.
MOREShawna Pandya
Dr. Shawna Pandya is a scientist-astronaut candidate with Project PoSSUM, physician, aquanaut, speaker, martial artist, advanced diver, skydiver, pilot-in-training, VP Immersive Medicine with Luxsonic Technologies and Fellow of the Explorers’ Club. She holds degrees in neuroscience, space, entrepreneurship and medicine, and is currently completing a fellowship in Wilderness Medicine.
In 2015, Dr. Pandya completed scientist-astronaut candidate training with Project PoSSUM (Polar Suborbital Science in the Upper Mesosphere) and was on the first crew to test a commercial spacesuit in zero-gravity. She has flown over 140 parabolas in microgravity to date. Dr. Pandya is the lead instructor for Project PoSSUM’s EVA 102: Operational Space Medicine course. Through Project PoSSUM, she completed hypobaric hypoxia training, centrifuge studies, aerobatic flight, basic and advanced emergency spacecraft egress and sea survival training, and high altitude noctilucent cloud research. Dr. Pandya also completed a tour at the Mars Desert Research Station analog in Utah, both as Commander and as Crew Health & Safety Officer. In 2019, Dr. Pandya attained her aquanaut designation during a 5-day underwater mission (NEPTUNE) at the Jules Underwater Lodge, completed the World Extreme Medicine Hyperbaric and Dive Medicine Course at Aquarius Reef Base, where NASA NEEMO missions take place, and was named a fellow of the Explorers’ Club. Her adventures were recently captured in the Land Rover short, released with the Apollo 11: First Steps film. Dr. Pandya has previously conducted research in space medicine at NASA’s Johnson Space Center and the European Space Agency’s European Astronaut Center Crew Medical Support Office Wilderness Medicine. She is currently the Life Sciences Team Lead for the Association of Spaceflight Professionals. She is also the International Space Development Conference LaunchPad track Chair, curating a speaking platform for scientists and entrepreneurs working on innovative concepts in space exploration. Dr. Pandya’s research interests center on resilience in extreme environments, and reproduction in long-duration spaceflight. Her published works include articles on neurosurgical robotics, and book chapters on space technology spin-offs benefitting every day medicine on Earth, resilience in long-duration spaceflight and reproduction in long-duration spaceflight. Dr. Pandya is also a professional speaker represented by the National Speakers Bureau, speaking on leadership, resilience, and pushing the limits. In 2020, she joined Luxsonic Technologies as VP Immersive Medicine, where she helps develop VR-based tools for medical education. She also serves as a sessional lecturer with the University of Alberta’s Technology and the Future of Medicine Course.
MOREYvette Gonzalez
Raised in El Paso, Texas, Yvette is a Human Resilience, Human Factors, and Space Sustainability expert. With 22 years of International Development, Humanitarian, and Emergency Response experience rebuilding communities in active war, conflict, natural disasters, and epidemiological outbreaks, she now adapts her skills to space science, technology, and policy research. She is currently the Frontier Development Lab’s (FDL) Regional Lead for Europe.
She is an active member of the COVID19 Caribbean Response Team, International Institute for Astronautical Sciences (IIAS), International Astronautical Federation, Moon Village Association, Women in Aerospace - Europe, Association of Spaceflight Professionals, and the Austrian Space Forum (OeWF) Mars mission support team. With a Woman-Owned, Minority-Owned, HubZone small business, she continues humanitarian missions in complex contexts. While she currently pursues her Applied Astronautics Certificate with the IIAS, she holds an MPH from Columbia University in Forced Migration and the Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, a BA in Multinational Organization Studies and French from St. Mary’s University in Texas, and her Deuxième and Troisième Degrés from the Université des Sciences Humaines de Strasbourg (USHS) in Strasbourg, France. She is a scuba diver, classically trained soprano, and an avid explorer.
MORE