Rose M. Litman Memorial Lecture in Science: Serena Auñón-Chancellor

Space exploration has seen a successful Low Earth Orbit campaign for decades. From the medical perspective, the design of medical supply kits, the use of ultrasound, and advancements in telemedicine have improved our ability to handle medical events and monitor chronic conditions. With NASA’s plan to return to the Moon and push towards Mars, however, we need greater progress toward performing real-time diagnostics, deploying AI for patient assistance, and improving surgical capabilities. This presentation will focus on a physician-astronaut’s personal experiences during a 197-day mission to help bring to life the current medical capabilities of ISS, including perspectives on what we should focus on for future exploration class missions.

Dr. Serena Auñón-Chancellor serves as Professor of Medicine for the Texas A&M Family Medicine Residency Program, where she teaches and leads hospital teams with residents and medical students. She is the current University of Texas Medical Branch Aerospace Medicine Residency Program Director, focusing on the training of physicians to serve the U.S. space program as well as the burgeoning commercial space industry. Additionally, Dr. Auñón-Chancellor works for the NASA Astronaut Office and serves as the lead astronaut physician.

Auñón-Chancellor is board certified in internal medicine and aerospace medicine, and is considered an expert in extreme medicine as she has practiced in almost every environment, including a 42 day stay living 200 miles from the South Pole on the Antarctic ice, under the sea in the Aquarius Habitat, and 240 miles above the Earth’s surface on the International Space Station.

Her research interests include thrombosis in microgravity, space radiation and its clinical effects on humans, and the major medical challenges facing astronauts during exploration class missions.

Host or Publisher CU Boulder Research & Innovation Office