What is your background?
I am a practicing board-certified general surgeon for the past decade and have been working to merge my passions for surgery and space for the last few years. A native Texan, I earned a B.A. from Austin College in Sherman, Texas, with a double major in Biology and Classics. Then, I went on to attain an M.P.H. degree from University of Texas--Houston, followed by a medical degree from Texas Tech University HSC School of Medicine in Lubbock, Texas. 

My clinical training includes General Surgery residency at the University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville, followed by a two-year fellowship (one year clinical researcher; one year advanced MIS and complex abdominal wall reconstruction surgery) from the Carolinas Medical Center (now Atrium Health) in Charlotte, NC. Since then, I have worked in the hospital setting as a general surgeon, while expanding my skills and knowledge in medicine in extreme environments; I have been to the polar Arctic, the deserts of Oman, and wilderness of Namibia. I have also be a part of several medical/surgical missions in Africa and South America.  

What is your interest in aerospace medicine and surgery?
Since childhood, I have wanted to be an astronaut, and truthfully, I would love to be the first to do surgery in space!  I began bridging my interest in medicine and space through analog missions and habitats. In 2022, I volunteered at the Space Analog for the Moon and Mars (SAM) in Oracle, AZ, to help with and learn new construction skills (painting, cleaning, sanding, building) while SAM was finishing its habitat construction phase. I was part of SAM’s core team from February 2023 to May 2026, during which time, I also moved to capture operational knowledge and wrote the Standard Operating Procedures for SAM analog crews; was the crew commander for the second analog mission (Inclusion 2); and lead a Working Group to develop a research-grade medical and surgical bay at SAM for simulation and training related to future exploration spaceflight missions. Together with my colleague Kai Staats, who was the visionary builder of SAM, I gave the keynote Harry G. Armstrong lecture at the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) conference in May 2026.  As the 2026-27 APEX fellow, I aim to continue investigating and learning more about space medicine with focus on procedural medicine and surgery to help us prepare for future exploration class missions. I am also a firm believer that everything we aim to do for space, we should also do for Earth. 

What are your hobbies/interests outside of medicine?
I love and enjoy traveling, hiking, camping, indoor rock climbing, reading, movies, the arts, and new adventures!  

What is your background?
I have been actively working as an Emergency physician in San Francisco for the last few years. With a foundation built on diverse academic and clinical experiences, I have a robust background in high-acuity medicine. I earned my undergraduate degree from the University of California, Santa Barbara and completed my medical education at the Keck School of Medicine at USC. My clinical training includes an Emergency Medicine residency at Highland Hospital in Oakland, CA, followed by a Pediatric Emergency fellowship at UCSF Benioff Children's Hospital in Oakland, CA. My current service as a Critical Care Transport physician for the U.S. Air Force was the crucial catalyst for this pursuit; my concurrent Flight Surgeon training provided a powerful reminder of my long-standing fascination with space and its unique medical challenges, leading me directly to this specialized opportunity.

What is your interest in aerospace medicine and surgery?
I join this fellowship with a clear mission: to apply my acute care expertise to the challenges of deep space human exploration. My commitment is fueled by a lifelong love of space combined with extensive training in high-acuity environments. To effectively contribute to this specialized field, I recognize the need to evolve beyond my core training. This fellowship's expanded surgical training is essential to enabling my goals: to focus on disaster and transport planning and the acute care management of sick or injured crew members—skills vital for crew survival and mission success where terrestrial resources are unavailable.

What are your hobbies/interests outside of medicine?
I love traveling and hope to one day include space in my itinerary. I enjoy rock climbing, live music and exploring food and wine with friends. I also attended adult Space Camp with my dad a few years ago; I highly recommend it. 

What is your background?

I was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa. I completed both undergraduate and medical school education at Johns Hopkins University. In undergraduate, I majored in neuroscience and also played on the baseball team. In medical school I founded the Aerospace Medicine Interest Group and completed the NASA medical student clerkship, working with the team on Spaceflight Associated Neuro-Ocular Syndrome. I am now a PGY-4 neurosurgery resident at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida. I am drawn to the great unknowns of the universe which has led me to the intersection of the brain and space medicine.

What is your interest in aerospace medicine and surgery?

I believe extending life beyond Earth is the most important problem to solve and aim to contribute using my background in neuroscience, medicine, and surgery. I was invigorated by my past experiences in aerospace medicine including the NASA clerkship and am excited to further these experiences as an APEX fellow. I am particularly interested in understanding adaptations of the nervous system during spaceflight, including changes in intracranial pressure, and managing neurologic conditions and injuries. As the commercial space industry develops, I hope to provide expertise on procedural interventions and preparedness to enable deep space missions.  

What are your hobbies/interests outside of medicine?

Outside of medicine, I enjoy any outdoor physical activity or sport, playing music including piano and guitar, growing an exotic fruit garden in Florida, and finding new adventures with my wife and dog. 

What is your background?

I graduated Summa Cum Laude with a BS in Cellular and Molecular Biology from Bradley University in Peoria, IL. I obtained my MD from University of Illinois College of Medicine at Peoria in 2018. I graduated first in my medical school class with honors and was inducted into Alpha Omega Alpha my M3 year. I completed an Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery residency at the Medical College of Wisconsin in Milwaukee, WI in 2023. 

What is your interest in aerospace medicine and surgery?

I have been interested in space and space exploration since I was a child. Regarding Aerospace Medicine and Surgery, I am particularly interested in establishing a "new normal" for human physiology in extended duration space missions and how humans adapt both in the short term and long term to microgravity environments. Additionally, as space is a low resource environment by definition, I am interested in honing medical skills and adapting procedures for austere environments; reducing waste and using ingenuity to overcome resource limitations. Finally, I want to bring feasible surgical and procedural care to the space environment, as this will be required if humans are to leave Earth permanently. 

What are your hobbies/interests outside of medicine?

I earned my private pilot certificate in 2021 and enjoy flying around the countryside in my free time. I also enjoy video games and virtual reality, hiking, camping, and Renaissance Faires.