Our first live panel discussion with;
NASA astronauts Cdr. Victor Glover and Col. Michael Hopkins
former NASA Chief Administrator and astronaut Charles Bolden,
and Apollo astronaut candidate Ed Dwight (who was almost the first man on the moon)
on diversity and race in human spaceflight and aerospace medicine.
A man whose resume reads: former Air Force Test Pilot, America’s First African American Astronaut Candidate, IBM Computer Systems Engineer, Aviation Consultant, Restaurateur, Real Estate Developer and Construction Entrepreneur can best be described as a true renaissance man. Ed Dwight has succeeded in all these varied careers. However, for the last 40 years, Ed has focused his direction on the Fine Arts- Gallery Paintings & Sculptures, Large-scale Memorials and Public Art projects. Since his art career began in 1978, after attaining his MFA in Sculpture from the University of Denver, Dwight has become one of the most prolific and insightful sculptors in America.
Lean more about Mr. Dwight on his website; https://www.eddwight.com
Colonol, US Air Force
NASA Astronaut
Michael S. Hopkins was selected by NASA as an astronaut in 2009. The Missouri native is currently training for Crew-1, the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and his second long duration mission aboard the International Space Station.
Hopkins and his crewmates are working closely with SpaceX to develop their new spacecraft systems, which will provide roundtrip crew transportation services to the International Space Station and, along with Boeing’s Starliner, return the ability to launch humans into space from United States soil.
Previously, Hopkins was member of the Expedition 37/38 crew and has logged 166 days in space. He launched from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan to the International Space Station in September 2013. During his stay aboard the station, he conducted two spacewalks totaling 12 hours and 58 minutes to change out a degraded pump module.
He holds a Bachelor of Science in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Illinois and a Master of Science in Aerospace Engineering from Stanford University. Hopkins currently supports International Space Station Operations at the Johnson Space Center.
Learn more about Colonol Hopkins here; https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/michael-s-hopkins/biography
Commander, US Navy
NASA Astronaut
Victor J. Glover, Jr. was selected as an astronaut in 2013 while serving as a Legislative Fellow in the United States Senate. He is currently training for Crew-1, the first post-certification mission of SpaceX’s Crew Dragon spacecraft – the second crewed flight for that vehicle – and a long duration mission aboard the International Space Station.
Glover and his crewmates are working closely with SpaceX to develop their new spacecraft systems, which will provide roundtrip crew transportation services to the International Space Station and, along with Boeing’s Starliner, return the ability to launch humans into space from United States soil.
The California native holds a Bachelor of Science in General Engineering, a Master of Science in Flight Test Engineering, a Master of Science in Systems Engineering and a Master of Military Operational Art and Science. Glover is a Naval Aviator and was a test pilot in the F/A‐18 Hornet, Super Hornet and EA‐18G Growler. He and his family have been stationed in many locations in the United States and Japan and he has deployed in combat and peacetime.
Learn More about Commander Glover here; https://www.nasa.gov/astronauts/biographies/victor-j-glover/biography
Emergency Medicine, Columbia University
Flight Surgeon and Clinical Scientist NASA, JSC
Dana started the Exploration Medicine podcast as a way to share the fascinating world of extreme environment medicine and the stories and researcher of its’ practitioners.
He graduated from the New York Presbyterian Hospital system Emergency Medicine residency and subsequently completed his Aerospace Medicine training with the University of Texas Medical Branch along with his MPH. He currently works as a physician, educator, and researcher with the Emergency Department at Columbia University Medical Center and as a flight surgeon with NASA’s Commercial Crew and Human Research Programs. He also co-Founder of the University of Colorado Space and Extreme Environment Medicine Program which focuses on interdisciplinary, simulation-based training for physicians and engineers.
His work involves altitude research in the Himalayas; technical SCUBA diving and nautical archeology; medical support and research in Antarctica; supporting the record breaking Equal Playing Field football game from the summit of Kilimanjaro; supporting commercial spacecraft launches and landings; and designing medical systems and clinical decision support for NASA’s upcoming deep space missions.
Dana can often be found playing blues with his band in New York City, sailing, flying or SCUBA diving. He enjoys skiing, backpacking, rock climbing, telling stories, and social dancing.
Learn more about Dr. Levin here; https://www.explorationmedicine.com/team
Internal Medicine/Aerospace Medicine resident at UTMB
PhD in Computational Biology
Karen Ong is a founder and co-chair of the Diversity Committee for the Aerospace Medicine Student and Resident Organization (AMSRO). She grew up as a child of the Space Shuttle era in Orlando, Florida, and is currently a third year resident in the Internal/Aerospace Medicine Program at the University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) in Galveston, Texas.
She completed a BS in Chemistry (emphasis biochemistry) at Pacific Union College in 2006. After that, she fell in love with science and subsequently spent two years developing mathematical models of steroid biochemistry at the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, Maryland (2006-2008). Before beginning training as a physician-scientist, she volunteered with children of prisoners in the San Francisco Bay area and completed her private pilot certificate in 2008 and instrument rating in 2009 (the day before starting the MD/PhD program!).
She is an avid distance runner, open-water swimmer, and triathlete who has completed multiple races including the Houston Marathon (2020), the Alcatraz Classic swim (2019), and Ironman Chattanooga (2015). It is unclear if she eats to race or races to eat, but she enjoys cooking and looks forward to the day when races (and their associated large-scale caloric consumption) can safely resume. In the meantime, she continues to train as a physician and is developing collaborations to provide local pandemic forecasting in Galveston.
Nic is a medical student at Sidney Kimmel Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. He is planning to become a radiation oncologist and aerospace medicine physician who takes care of cancer patients on Earth while supporting astronaut health surveillance and radiation safety. A bicoastal lover of nature and exploration, he hopes to wear many hats in his career.
He received his bachelor’s at UCLA in biochemistry and English. He taught junior high science and worked as a hospital pharmacy technician before performing space medicine research at Jefferson University and the University of Pennsylvania, helping run spaceflight simulation studies. He is a current Simon Kramer extern in radiation oncology, and his main research interests are in chronobiology, community health, oncology, and radiobiology.
His goal is to advocate planetary stewardship and encourage aspiring LGBTQ professionals in STEM. He co-established the Aerospace Medicine Student and Resident Organization’s diversity committee, with the main objective of supporting diversity and inclusion in astronautics and aerospace medicine. While working toward his MD, he continues to engage in clinical research to fight cancer disparities, developing interventions for oncology patients affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, promoting the IIAS Out Astronaut Project, and other projects in space medicine.
For more information on the Out Astronaut Project visit their website here: https://outastronaut.org
Kathryn Manuel - Bolden Group
John Stephen - NASA Astronaut Office
The Exploration Medicine Podcast Team;
Sultana Peffley, MD
Jeremy Sieker, MD/PhD Candidate
MAJOR GENERAL, US MARINE CORPS (RET.)
12TH NASA ADMINISTRATOR
Retired Marine Corps Maj. Gen. Charles Frank Bolden Jr. was the Administrator of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) from July 2009 until January 2017.
Bolden’s 34-year career with the Marine Corps included 14 years as a member of NASA’s Astronaut Office. After joining the office in 1980,
he traveled into orbit four times aboard the space shuttle between 1986 and 1994, commanding two of the missions and piloting two others.
Today, Bolden serves as the CEO Emeritus of The Charles F. Bolden Group LLC. He also serves as an independent director of Atlas Air Worldwide Holdings and Blue Cross Blue Shield of South Carolina in addition to numerous other professional affiliations.
Bolden is a graduate of C.A. Johnson High School in Columbia, S.C. He earned a Bachelor of Science degree from the U.S. Naval Academy and a Master of Science degree from the University of Southern California.
Bolden is married to the former Alexis Walker of Columbia, SC. They have two children, A. Che’ Bolden, Colonel, USMC (retired), Dr. Kelly M. Bolden, MD, and three granddaughters, Mikaley, Kyra and Talia.
Learn more about Major General Bolden here: https://www.nasa.gov/about/highlights/bolden_bio.html