Dear Colleagues,
We are pleased to announce the establishment of the Department of Aerospace and Exploration Medicine within the UTMB School of Public and Population Health and the appointment of Ronak V. Shah, DO, MBA, MPH, as its inaugural chair.
The Department of Aerospace and Exploration Medicine will advance the institution’s longstanding leadership in aerospace health while launching an ambitious new era of research, discovery, and innovation. Formerly the Aerospace Medicine Division, the program has been elevated to departmental status to support expanded education, research, and collaboration. The addition of “Exploration” reflects both the evolution of the field and a commitment to preparing for the health challenges that accompany new forms of human exploration.
For more than three decades, UTMB has prepared professionals to address the unique health challenges associated with aviation and human spaceflight. The new department builds upon that foundation with a broader mission: to generate the evidence, technologies, and approaches needed to protect human health and performance as exploration extends into increasingly complex and extreme environments.
Elevating Aerospace Medicine from a division to a department provides the academic structure needed to expand this work, bring together specialized expertise, and create new opportunities for education, research, and collaboration.
Dr. Ronak Shah has served on the UTMB faculty since 2012 and became director of the Aerospace Medicine Division in February 2022. As director, he has guided the program’s educational, business, and strategic activities while leading a multidisciplinary team that provides space medicine and research expertise in support of NASA.
His professional experience includes a decade of clinical, operational, and research work supporting NASA programs, including five years as medical director of clinical services in NASA’s Space Medicine Operations Division. A graduate of the UTMB Residency in Aerospace Medicine, Dr. Shah is board-certified in Aerospace Medicine and Internal Medicine. He is also a former president of the Society of NASA Flight Surgeons and a recipient of the NASA Exceptional Achievement Medal for his leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Dr. Shah’s vision builds on an established aerospace medicine legacy while positioning the new department to respond to the emerging needs of aviation, human spaceflight, and exploration.
Please join us in congratulating Dr. Shah and the entire Aerospace and Exploration Medicine team as they begin this new chapter.
Sincerely,
Susan Chubinskaya, PhD, MS
Senior Vice President, Provost, and Chief Academic Officer
The University of Texas Medical Branch
M. Kristen Peek, PhD
Senior Vice President and Dean
School of Public and Population Health