Media
News, Updates, & Insights
One Small Step
Dr. Nicolas Heft discusses the physiological considerations for human space travel and extraterrestrial habitation.
Hancock’s Headlines: Medicine in Space
In this episode, Dr. John Hancock explores how the Department of Emergency Medicine is leading the way in the treatment and education of clinical care in space.
Dive Medicine Press Release
“The Ocean Corporation will collaborate with of UTHealth Houston Space Medicine Training program”
Houston, TX – A two-week intensive training at The Ocean Corporation, focusing on hyperbaric technologies and analog environments similar to what astronauts experience when performing extravehicular activities, or “space walks,” will be added to the UTHealth Houston Space Medicine Training fellowship program.
This specialized training aims to deepen fellows’ understanding of physiological and medical challenges in extreme environments, a critical aspect of space medicine. “Integrating commercial diving insights with advanced medical training provides these fellows with unparalleled expertise in managing extreme conditions,” said Richard Johnston, an expert instructor at The Ocean Corporation with a background in commercial diving and emergency medicine and an Air Force veteran.
The fellowship focuses on rigorously preparing physicians to address the challenges of space-based health care. The program is led by Nicolas Heft, MD, an alumnus of the fellowship, and now the Director for the Space Medicine Training fellowship.
Dr. Heft’s innovative curriculum will now include hands-on training with applied physiology relating to pressure changes, working in stressful and unforgiving remote environments, and the medical planning needed to support these unique activities. This is highly relevant knowledge that is essential for long-duration space missions and will be provided through direct practice as the fellows conduct “space walks” of their own.
UTHealth Houston’s second-year fellow, Curtis Lowery, M.D, Ph.D.,, added,
“The UTHealth Houston Space Medicine program builds on decades of aerospace medicine research to develop a completely novel training pathway specifically designed for the future of human space travel.
This dive training prepares us for various medical scenarios that can occur on expeditionary missions in space such as EVA support and treatment of barotrauma-related injuries.”
John Wood, President of The Ocean Corporation, emphasized the broader implications of this collaboration:
“Collaborating with UTHealth Houston is a leap forward in our commitment to innovating education that meets the challenges of future space exploration. We’re equipping medical professionals to enhance human health, both on Earth and in space.”
The inclusion of The Ocean Corporation’s hyperbaric environment training underscores the innovative educational approaches of both institutions and their commitment to advancing human health across new frontiers. Ocean Corporation believes the intensive training is set to significantly impact the development of the next generation of space medicine professionals.
“The training will allow our fellows to experience first-hand some of the challenges that astronauts experience when performing space walks both in microgravity and on the surface of the moon.” – Dr. Nicolas Heft
For more details on The Ocean Corporation and its innovative programs, visit OceanCorp.com.
From Classroom to Cosmos
UTHealth Houston has successfully launched COSMOS(Concepts of Space Medicine and Orbital Systems), a four-week immersive rotation in space medicine, in collaboration with the University of California-Irvine. This rotation is closely linked with the UTHealth Houston Space Medicine Fellowship and offers a unique experiential learning opportunity for fourth-year medical students.
“Developing medical school opportunities for students interested in human health and performance in space helps to address a gap that currently exists in early space medicine education”, explains Dr. Kris Lehnhardt, Director of Space Medicine at UTHealth Houston, “I wish I could have had this type of incredible exposure to the field when I was an eager medical student”.
The COSMOS rotation provides hands-on exposure to the evolving field of space medicine through guided tours of commercial and governmentalspaceflight facilities and opportunities to shadow medical and research personnel in their day-to-day operations.
Designed to equip students for future careers in space medicine, the elective features comprehensive didactic sessions on essential topics such as spaceflight physiology and human adaptation to space environments. Students gain a deep understanding of the diagnostic and therapeutic constraints of spaceflight medical systems and explore their implications for trade space analysis and medical risk mitigation.
As fourth year UTHealth Houston medical student Onur Sahin says…
“..the rotation gave me a solid foundation in space medicine which helped me to identify the aspects that interested me the most, and it also connected me with people who recommended relevant programs, materials, and next steps to further explore those interests.”
In addition to medical instruction, Dr. Nicolas Heft, UTHealth Houston’s Space Medicine Fellowship Director, explains that the rotation “emphasizes the integration of space medicine principles within a broader engineering and design framework.”
Participants collaborate as part of a multidisciplinary team, engaging with concepts like systems engineering, vehicle design, and probabilistic risk modeling.
The rotation culminates with a simulated private medical conference, where students navigate the challenges of providing remote medical care amid the communication delays encountered during lunar missions or interplanetary travel to Mars.
This experience enhances their appreciation for the interdisciplinary collaboration required between engineers, design experts, and space medicine clinicians, preparing them to address the complexities of human health in space exploration.
With its innovativecurriculum and hands-on experiences, the COSMOS rotation is paving the way for the next generation of space medicine leaders, equipping them with the knowledge and skills to advance human health beyond Earth!
Exploring Surgical Readiness Beyond Earth
Members of the UTHealth Houston – Space Medicine program had the honor of participating in the 2025 Space Surgery Symposium, hosted at the NASA Starport Exchange (Gilruth Center) in Houston, TX. The event brought together thought leaders, innovators, and clinicians dedicated to solving one of the most complex challenges in spaceflight: how to safely perform surgery beyond Earth.
Why Surgery in Space Matters
Surgeryis a fundamental part of modern life—globally, the average person undergoes a surgical procedure approximately once every 25 years. Many of these procedures, such as appendectomies or gallbladder removals, arise from acute conditionsthat demand timely intervention. As humanity sets its sights on long-duration missions to the Moon, Mars, and beyond, we must be prepared for the possibility that astronauts may require surgical care in the unforgiving environment of space.
The 2025 symposium provided an extraordinary opportunity to explore this frontier. It served as a continuation of work first set in motion by earlier symposia in 2015 and 2018, organized by the Space Surgery Association (SSA)—a multidisciplinary group of surgeons, scientists, engineers, and space medicine experts focused on building the surgical infrastructure necessary for exploration-class missions.
Symposium Highlights
The agenda was a dynamic mix of technical talks, case-based discussions, and forward-looking perspectives. Some standout sessions included:
- “Anesthesia in Spaceflight” by Art Formanek, exploring how microgravity impacts sedation, airway management, and patient monitoring.
- “Neurosurgical Considerations for Spaceflight” by Edson Oliveira, highlighting the unique challenges of brain and spinal injury management in microgravity.
- A compelling session on the “Role of Robotic Surgery and AI” by Dan Fer, envisioning autonomous or semi-autonomous systems for surgical intervention when Earth-based support is limited by communication delays.
- Women’s health in spaceflightwas brought to the forefront by Begum Mathyk, focusing on surgical preparedness for conditions unique to or more prevalent in women astronauts.
Later in the day, the symposium featured innovative projects such as the Space Ambulance concept(Steve Robinson), the management of medical data in space(Jimmy Wu), and technology development strategies from Shane Farritor, who walked attendees through translating surgical technology from concept to application in the rigors of space.
In the afternoon session, there were especially engaging presentations led by Kimia Seyedmadanion qualifying surgical technologies for clinical use both on Earth and in space, and during the panel led by Rey Henry and colleagues from the military trauma community, drawing parallels between remote combat surgical care and the operational needs of space surgery.
The day wrapped with recommendations and action items, emphasizing the urgent need for roadmap development, simulation infrastructure, and multi-institutional collaborationto validate space surgical capabilities.
Our Role
Our team was proudto contribute to the discussions and to learn from colleagues across NASA, academia, the military, and private industry. With a deep bench of expertise in aerospace medicine, surgical innovation, and translational research, we’re well-positioned to continue driving forward the agenda of surgical readiness for spaceflight.
As one of the leading institutions involved in space health and performance research, UTHealth Houston remains committedto the collaborative, rigorous, and mission-driven work that events like this symposium inspire.
Looking Ahead
With the Artemis program and commercial spaceflight rapidly expanding the scope and duration of human missions beyond low-Earth orbit, the question is not if surgery will be needed in space, but when. The 2025 Space Surgery Symposium helped crystallize the challenges ahead—and more importantly, the solutions that will enable safe, effective surgical care far from home.
We are grateful to the Space Surgery Association, NASA, and all contributing partners for making this event possible. UTHealth Houston – Space Medicine is proud to continue partnering in this vitaland inspiring work.