Aerospace Medicine Residency Program

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About the Program


The UTMB Health Aerospace Medicine Residency Program is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME).

The UTMB Aerospace Medicine Residency Program combines the facilities, faculty, and expertise of two great institutions and several partners to provide aerospace medicine training focused on space to the flight surgeons and researchers of tomorrow.

The two‐year program integrates academics leading to a Master of Public Health (MPH) degree and practicum experience in a variety of aerospace medicine related activities and rotations. Program graduates are eligible for certification by the American Board of Preventive Medicine (ABPM) in Aerospace Medicine.

Training is prevention‐based and acquaints residents with unique aspects of space medicine applications including medical standards and certification, crew health issues, biomedical protective equipment, acceleration, microgravity, hyper and hypobaric conditions, radiation, remote monitoring, and lifetime surveillance of astronaut health. Residents become proficient in the ability to access the literature related to the physiological changes that occur in microgravity and evaluate current research.

It is our mission to prepare physicians in the operational aspects of aerospace medicine and space biomedical research to protect the health of populations exposed to unusual or extreme environments, to be knowledgeable about the physical and engineering aspects of the flight environment, and manage public safety issues from a variety of regulatory agencies.Practicum experience includes clinical and other rotations to provide the necessary training opportunities covering the entire spectrum of aerospace medicine. These rotations prepare the resident through supervised clinical, project and program management experiences to be competent in all aerospace medicine competencies.

Program Highlights

  • Work with national and international experts in space and aviation medicine disciplines
  • Train in space medical operational activities, biomedical research design, aerospace medicine space physiology, and biostatistics
  • Training in extreme medicine environments
  • 42 hours of graduate-level coursework (MPH)
  • Develop and complete an integrative learning experience (capstone project) to earn an MPH degree
  • Qualify residents to be eligible to sit for the certification examination of the American Board of Preventive Medicine

Academic Study

The MPH degree plan includes a core set of 42 credit hours required by the Accreditation for Graduate Medical Education and the Council on Education for Public Health.

  • Courses in core knowledge areas of public health (Biostatistics, Epidemiology, Health Policy, Environmental Health, and Social/Behavioral Sciences)
  • Aerospace specialty courses (toxicology, global health & travel medicine, principles of aviation and space medicine, and accident investigation/ risk management and mitigation)
  • Completion of an integrative learning experience (capstone)
  • Completion of a mentored non-patient care public health practice experience

Practicum Opportunities

Our program offers a variety of practicum experiences with partners including:

  • NASA Johnson Space Center
  • Commercial Spaceflight
  • Federal Aviation Administration
  • Military Aerospace Medicine
  • Aviation Medicine
  • Extreme Medicine Environments
  • Hyperbaric Medicine
  • Clinical and Administrative Preventive Medicine Sites
  • Various Other Elective Opportunities

Alumni Highlights

NASA Astronaut- Kjell Lindgren, MD, MS, MPH

Watch YouTube video of Dr. Lindgren, NASA Astronaut and graduate of the UTMB Aerospace Medicine Residency and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences.  Dr. Lindgren is a member of NASA's Artemis team!
Watch on YouTube

NASA Astronaut- Serena Aunon-Chancellor, MD, MPH

On November 2, 2018, UTMB had the honor of hosting Serena M. Auñón-Chancellor, MD, MPH, NASA Astronaut and graduate of the UTMB Internal Medicine and Aerospace Medicine residencies and Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences, for a live video conference question and answer session. Medical students, residents/fellows, faculty, staff, area high school STEM programs, and visiting residency interviewees had the opportunity to ask questions pertaining to medicine, research projects and life on the International Space Station as a part of the Expedition 57 crew.

Watch the live recording here...Video Broadcast Recording

Contacts

Aerospace Medicine Residency Program
University of Texas Medical Branch
301 University Boulevard
Galveston, Texas 77555-1110

Phone: (409) 747-6131
Email: aerospace.med@utmb.edu
William Powers, MD, MS
Director
Aerospace Medicine Residency
R. Yvette Schulz_smR. Yvette Schulz
Program Manager
Aerospace Medicine
ryschulz@utmb.edu