Biography

Dr. Nicolas Heft is a Board-Certified Emergency Medicine physician and the co-founder and Fellowship Director of the Space Medicine program at the University of Texas Health Science Center. He earned his medical degree from Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine and completed his Emergency Medicine residency at the University of Texas.

Dr. Heft is a graduate of the United States Air Force Special Warfare Medical Officer course and a certified Diver Medical Technician. He has submitted multiple experiments for orbital missions and contributed to the development of the medical framework for parts of NASA’s Artemis program.

Additionally, Dr. Heft has served as a Flight Surgeon in Mission Control, supporting crews bound for the International Space Station.

Education

MD
Florida Atlantic University College of Medicine
Residency
The Department of Emergency Medicine
Space Medicine Fellowship
The Department of Emergency Medicine

Areas of Interest

Clinical Interests

Space Medicine, Emergency Medicine, Aerospace medicine and flight surgery, Medical experimentation for orbital missions, Development of medical frameworks for space exploration programs, Specialized medical training in military and high-risk environments (e.g., Air Force Special Warfare, Diver Medical Technician)