Featured Members

Dr. Alex Garbino

The 2017 Journal Award is presented for the article, “Emergency Medical Considerations in a Space-Suited Patient”, the lead author is SMA member Dr. Alex Garbino.

Dr. Garbino is a graduate of Baylor College of Medicine’s M.D.-Ph.D. program in Translational Biology and Molecular Medicine. He was also the first graduate from the Space Medicine Track at Baylor, which he helped create and design as a medical student. Dr. Garbino served as President of the Aerospace Medical Student and Resident Organization from 2008 to 2012. He also participated in the Mistastin Lake Crater/Univ. of W. Ontario Lunar Analog Mission in the summer of 2010. More recently, Dr. Garbino worked on the Red Bull Stratos Mission to the Edge of Space, both as a member of the field medical group and as lead for physiological monitoring. Dr. Garbino is currently in his final year of residency in aerospace medicine at UTMB.

Dr. Rodriguez-Jimenez
Dr. Rodriguez-Jimenez

Dr. Rodriguez-Jimenez graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Natural Sciences from the University of Puerto Rico in San Juan. He next received a Master of Science in Human Factors & Systems with Distinction from Embry Riddle Aeronautical University in Daytona Beach, FL. Dr. Rodriguez-Jimenez completed a residency in Family Medicine at the Stamford Hospital – Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons before joining the UTMB Aerospace Medicine Residency Program. Of note, Dr. Rodriguez-Jimenez, under the guidance of Dr. Steve Hart at NASA Johnson Space Center, developed an index of facial swelling and head- ward fluid shift by analyzing baseline and spaceflight photos of long-duration astronauts.

Ms. MasterovaKseniya Masterova

Ms. Masterova is a recent graduate from Loyola University in Chicago. She was a triple major in Physics, Biophysics, and Biology with a minor in Mathematics. Since 2016, she has worked with Dr. Jay Buckey at Dartmouth College on Integrated Modeling of Microgravity-Induced Visual Changes. Prior to this, she worked at NASA Johnson Space Center’s Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health Program examining colonoscopy screening in the U.S. astronaut corps. Ms. Masterova has been a member of AsMA since 2014, serving as Chair of the Career Development Committee, and is also an active member of AMSRO, where she serves as Treasurer/Membership Coordinator, and Chair of the mentorship committee. She will begin an MD/PhD program at the University of Texas Medical Branch this summer.


John M. Suffredini, D.O.

The winner of the 2017 SMA JM YIA is John M. Suffredini, D.O . His paper is entitled “ Carotid Intima Thickness in the Astronaut Corps: Association to Spaceflight” . There does appear to be a difference with potential implications for those in long term space missions. John has grown up in the Space Program, his parents are both NASA engineers at JSC in Houston, and he has had a lifelong interest in aviation, being a radio control model aircraft pilot himself. It is of note that John’s mentor for the project was Kat Garcia, an ultrasound specialist and scientist at KBR Wyle/JSC who is a previous YIA winner. Dr. Suffredini is currently a resident in Internal medicine at the University of Kentucky, and plans to return home to work in the space program at JSC where he will specialize in Space Cardiology!


Dr. Rupert Gerzer

Dr. Rupert Gerzer is currently the Provost of Skolkovo Institute of Science and Technology in Moscow. From 1992 to 2015, he served as Director of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine of the German Aerospace Center DLR and was Professor and Chairman of the Institute of Aerospace Medicine at Aachen University, Germany.

Among his 300 peer-reviewed publications is a seminal study in humans demonstrating that injection of natriuretic factor increases cyclic GMP levels and associated urinary excretion…

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The findings led to flight studies aboard the Mir space station testing the effects of weightlessness on renal function. The results were surprising and inconsistent with commonly held expectations at the time, as urine flow and sodium excretion during weightlessness were found to be lower than the values obtained during pre-flight measurements, Subsequently, Professor Gerzer and colleagues took observations from space physiology and medicine, and applied them to new concepts in terrestrial medicine, such as the role of the skin and immune system in the regulation of sodium balance and hypertension.
Dr. Jeff Myers

We have a member who generously supports this mission not only financially, but more importantly with his time to encourage the advancement of space medicine with our students and early career professionals. You have already heard the purpose of the Jeff Myers Young Investigator Award and been introduced to this year’s winner. What you may not realize is the incredible amount of time Dr. Myers dedicates to this every year. The number of careers he has impacted through his dedication to the Young Investigator Award are many. For that, the association recognized Dr. Myers with the 2017 president’s award.


Dr. Charles A. Berry

The recipient of the Space Medicine Association 2016 Lifetime Achievement Award was Dr. Charles A. Berry.

Dr. Berry graduated from the University of California at Berkley with a BA (1945) and then an MD (1947). He then did a rotating internship at the University of California at San Francisco (1948). He was a family practitioner in Indio, California for three years and then was chosen as one of the first twenty-five aeromedical residents in the charter Air Force Aeromedical Residency Program at Randolph AFB which he finished in 1952…

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He was an Air Force Flight Surgeon in Panama (1952-1955) and then returned to Randolph AFB School of Aerospace Medicine as the Deputy Chief and then the Chief of Aviation Medicine (1956-1959). He was then the Chief of Flight Medicine at the Surgeon General’s Office in Washington, DC from 1959 to 1962.

Dr. Berry was a member of the Mercury Astronaut Selection Committee, choosing the first seven Mercury Program astronauts in 1959, and was a Project Mercury Aeromedical Monitor. He became the Chief of Medical Operations at NASA JSC in 1962 and later was the Director of Medical Research and Operations and then the Director of Life Sciences. He left NASA in 1974 to become the President of the University of Texas Health Science center in Houston.

Dr. Berry is remembered for several outstanding accomplishments in the area of space medicine. He balanced the concerns regarding the lack of research data for spaceflight operations for the Mercury and Gemini Programs which potentially would have delayed the space program.

He was instrumental in the medical management of the first long duration Gemini flights (4, 8, 14 days). He confronted the medical issues for the first Gemini EVAs. He was faced with understanding the first appearance of Space Motion Sickness during the early Apollo flights. He established a pre-flight quarantine program for Apollo. He managed the medical issues for the first Apollo Lunar EVAs. He established the Apollo post-Lunar quarantine program. He dealt with the myriad Apollo 13 medical issues. Dr. Berry was heavily involved with the medical, research, and countermeasure issues during the first truly long duration spaceflights of Skylab (1, 2, 3 months).

Genie Bopp

The recipient of the President’s Award is Genie Bopp for her years of dedicated service to the organization in promoting educational goals, ensuring that our focus remained on encouraging students to pursue careers in space medicine, and recruiting new members.
The extremely strong financial position of the organization is due to her efforts over several years of eliciting donations and establishing our funds within the Aerospace medicine Foundation.

Mathias Basner,
MD PhD MSc

The 2016 Space Medicine Association Journal Award was presented to Mathias Basner, MD PhD MSc, as the lead author of "Development and Validation of the Cognition Test Battery for Spaceflight" published in the Aerospace Medicine and Human Performance Journal in Nov 2015. Dr. Basner is an Associate Professor of Sleep and Chronobiology in Psychiatry at the Perelman School of Medicine, at the University of Pennsylvania. The journal citation is: Basner M, Savitt A, Moore TM, Port AM, McGuire S, Ecker AJ, Nasrini J, Mollicone DJ, Mott CM, McCann T, Dinges DF, Gur RC. Development and validation of the Cognition test battery for spaceflight. Aerosp Med Hum Perform. 2015; 86(11): 942 – 952.


Lt.Col. Eric Chumbley, M.D.

The Space Medicine Association Jeff Myers Young Investigators Award is a competition intended for those making their first major efforts into Aerospace Medicine Research. The winner of the award is Lt.Col. Eric Chumbley, M.D. His paper is entitled “The Use of Home Cervical Traction to Reduce Neck Pain in Fighter Pilots”. As an Air Force Flight Surgeon, Eric noted the problem of chronic neck pain occurring with high frequently in fighter pilots and explored this further as a research project looking for an operational solution while pursuing his Post-graduate degree at the Wright State University Aerospace Medicine program…

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Now an Air Force Aerospace Medicine resident, he looks forward to further application of this technique. We have noted that low back pain among Astronauts has been a concern for some time, but as we expand the envelope of space exploration into the civilian sector with multiple spacecraft designs and varying G load profiles, we can expect to see an increase in neck pain as well and Dr. Chumbley’s application will prove useful.
Michael LapelusaMichael Lapelusa

The Space Medicine Association Jeffrey R. Davis Scholarship was established to encourage students, who have demonstrated academic achievement and shown an interest in Space Biology and Space Medical Operations, to further pursue a career in Space Medicine. This year’s scholarship is presented to Michael Lapelusa. Michael received a Bachelor of Science in Molecular and Cellular Biology and a Minor in Chemistry from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in May of 2015.

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Michael has worked at NASA Johnson Space Center for the past several years, first as an intern with the Lifetime Surveillance of Astronaut Health program, where he helped define the occurrence of cerebrovascular accidents in the NASA astronaut population and developed a software tool to modify radiologic images. This past year, Michael has worked in the Microbiology Laboratory at NASA Johnson Space Center. His work involved characterizing the dose response profile of modeled microgravity-cultured Staphylococcus aureus to the human antimicrobial peptide LL-37.
Dr. Stanley R. Mohler

The recipient of the 2015 Lifetime Achievement Award was Dr. Stanley R. Mohler (1927-2014). Dr. Mohler was the Director of the FAA Civil Aeromedical Research Institute (1961-1965), the Director of the FAA Aeromedical Applications Division (1965-1978), and the Founder and Director of the Wright State University Aerospace Medical Residency Program (1978-2004). He published over 300 articles and made enormous contributions in Aviation and space medical standards, Accident investigation, Pilot protective equipment, and Pilot aging and stress…

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He has previously received several of the highest awards given by AsMA, including the Boothby, Mosely, Lyster, Bauer, Magvingt, and Presidents Citation. He also received the Space Medicine Association’s Strughold Award and the Society of NASA Flight Surgeons’ Presidents Award. Above all, he was a friend and mentor to most of the individual members of the Space Medicine Association.

Anatoly Ivanovich Grigoriev, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sci.

The recipient of the 2015 Jeffrey P. Sutton Scientific Achievement Award is Anatoly Ivanovich Grigoriev, M.D., Ph.D., D.Sci. Dr. Grigoriev is the Vice President of the Russian Academy of Sciences and the Scientific Director of the Institute of Biomedical Problems (IBMP) in Moscow. He has held these positions since 2008. From 1988 to 2008, he was the Director of IBMP. Academician Grigoriev is one of the founders of gravitational physiology, and has made significant contributions to our understanding of fluid and electrolyte regulation, orthostatic instability, adaptation, deconditioning, and countermeasures associated with human space flight…

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His life-long scientific work has had seminal impact in resolving both fundamental and applied problems in space biology and medicine. He has served as the chief medical specialist of the Russian Space Agency and has received numerous national and international accolades and honors for his scientific work.
Dujuan SevillianDujuan Sevillian

Dujuan Sevillian was the winner of the 2015 Young Investigators Award. The winner of the 2015 SMA JM YIA is Dujuan Sevillian . His paper is entitled ”Flight Deck Engineering: the Impact of flight Deck Crew Alerting and Information Systems on English as a Second Language Flight Crew Performance.”. As a pilot himself, he understood their perspective and was able to convince them that he had their best interest at heart – a universal Flight Surgeon’s principle…

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The paper underscores the importance of addressing differences in language and nationality between the potential flight crews during the design of the flight deck and in training of these crews. Growing up in Atlanta, Dujuan became interested in Aviation while studying Physics in high school. Motivated by his dreams to someday work in the Aerospace industry, he earned his bachelors and masters degrees at Embry Riddle University in Daytona Beach, also earning his private pilot’s license, while working 2 jobs to support himself. He now works full time at Boeing while working full time toward his PhD in Human Factors at Cranfield University in Seattle. He is living the Dream!
Anita Mantri

Raised in the Houston area, home to the Texas Medical Center and NASA Johnson Space
Center, Anita developed a passion for aerospace medicine from an early age and yearned to be a
“space doctor”. Pursuing this dream became a reality as Anita attended Rice University and
received a Bachelor of Science degree in Earth Science in 2009. After university, she worked for
the NASA Ames Research Center and served as a teacher for home-schooled students with
kidney transplants in Houston and fifth graders at Mount St. Mary’s School in Nadi, Fiji…

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In 2010, Anita began medical school at Texas A&M College of Medicine, in pursuit of an
M.D./Ph.D. In her own words, she chose the Texas A&M MD/PhD Program because of her
passion for space medicine and space life sciences and her interest in answering specific
questions about the human body’s adaptation to spaceflight. Anita was committed to using her
resilient determination to medicine and research to be a on the cutting edge of aerospace
medicine. Earlier this year, Anita successfully defended her dissertation, examining the effects
of oral contraceptive pills on bone’s response to exercise and spaceflight and was awarded her
Ph.D. Through her research, Anita was given the incredible opportunity to present to NASA
officials and members of the United States House of Representatives.
In the summer of 2016, Anita joined the Houston Campus as an M3 student and was well on her
way to completing her M.D. through the clinical clerkship rotations at Houston Methodist
Hospital. She remained committed to becoming a NASA flight surgeon and using the space
environment to develop solutions for clinical problems on Earth.
Anita touched many during her time at Texas A&M through her involvement in several
volunteer organizations, most notably her role as a student member of the College of Medicine
Admissions Committee, a transcriber of life stories for Hospice Brazos Valley, an ally member
of the Texas A&M LGBTQA Graduate Student group, and an organizer for on-campus events
and conferences with the Texas A&M Space Life Science program and the Texas A&M chapter
of the American Physician Scientists Association (APSA). At the time of her passing, she was
serving as the president of the Aerospace Medicine Student and Resident Organization
(AMSRO), a member of the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) Council, and a Space Life
Science fellow for the National Biomedical Research Institute (NSBRI).

While her professional career was filled with many achievements and successes along her brief
journey, it was her love of music and art where most recognized and experienced her passion and
zest for life. With training in both American-style and Indian classical-style music, Anita could
always be heard singing and entertaining her colleagues and anyone else who would lend an ear.
She truly enjoyed and embraced her multicultural Indian, Canadian, and Jamaican heritage
through food, culture, and art and shared that abundantly. Tragically, Anita was involved in a car
accident and passed away on November 10, 2016.

Building on Anita’s passion for making a difference through biomedical research, the Texas
A&M College of Medicine is establishing a permanent scholarship fund in her memory at the
Texas A&M Foundation. The Anita Mantri Memorial Scholarship will be awarded annually to
an MD/PhD student as a perpetual legacy of Anita and the good work she has begun. The
Aerospace Medical Association’s Aerospace Medical Students and Residents Organization
(AMSRO) Travel Scholarship was renamed the Anita Mantri Memorial Travel Scholarship and
is awarded yearly to an AMSRO member based upon their enthusiasm for aerospace medicine
and to defray costs to the annual meeting.


Natacha Chough

The 2015 Jeffrey R. Davis Scholarship was presented to Dr. Natacha Chough. Dr. Chough received her Bachelor of Science degree in Biology with Honors from the University of Washington and an M.D from the University of Michigan. She later completed residency training in Emergency Medicine at Stanford University, and is completing her aerospace medicine residency training at UTMB next month. Her performance during residency training has been outstanding. Dr. Chough’s awards during her residency include the Society of NASA Flight Surgeons Outstanding Student award, the William K. Douglas Scholarship and TWO RAM Bowl championships. Natacha has an avid interest in International and Wilderness medicine and is a Fellow of the Academy of Wildness Medicine.

Featured-memeber-placeholderJames Pattarini

The winner of the 2014 Wyle Scholarship is James Pattarini. He received his MD from the State University of New York at Buffalo and his MPH degree from the University of Texas Medical Branch. He is currently an Internal Medicine/Aerospace Medicine resident at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He has published research papers on a variety of physiology problems related to the Red Bull Stratos Free Fall Project and Commercial Spaceflight.

Featured-memeber-placeholderNevine Mahmoud

The winner of the 2014 Jeffrey R. Davis Scholarship is Nevine Mahmoud. She received her M.D. from Cairo University in Egypt, has completed residencies in Pediatrics and Family Medicine and is now graduating from the Wright State University Aerospace Medicine Residency program. She presented research at the meeting on robotic neuro-prosthesis for pilot amputees. The Space Medicine Association Scholarship sponsored by Jeffrey R. Davis is awarded each year to a college, medical school, residency, or fellowship student. The purpose of the Scholarship is to encourage students who have demonstrated academic achievement and shown an interest in Space Biology and Medical Operations to further pursue a career in Space Medicine.


Rob MulcahyRob Mulcahy

Rob Mulcahy is the winner of the 2014 Young Investigators Award with his excellent presentation given at this meeting, “Subject Anxiety and Psychological Considerations for Centrifuge-Simulated Suborbital Spaceflight”.