Johnson Human Health and Performance employees earn aerospace medical awards

On May 10, the Aerospace Medical Association (AsMA) recognized individuals from the Human Health and Performance (HH&P) Directorate at NASA’s Johnson Space Center for their contributions to medical research and work in the human spaceflight community. Recipients all played a key role in advancing aerospace medicine.

Those honored:

-- Erik Antonsen, M.D., element scientist for exploration medical capabilities, was awarded the Joseph P. Kerwin Award.
-- John Charles, Ph.D., retired associate director of exploration research planning, received the Space Medicine Association (SMA) Sutton Scientific Achievement Award.
-- Rahul Suresh, M.D., aerospace medicine resident, was honored for the Julian E. Ward Memorial Award.
-- James Pavela and Rahul Suresh placed first and second respectively out of all the participating University of Texas Medical Branch (UTMB) residents in aerospace medicine who won the Ram Bowl
-- Mary McFather, currently serving as a multilateral and contingency support administrative assistant, was honored with the Society of NASA Flight Surgeons honorary NASA Flight Surgeon Award.
-- Jeff Chancellor, former senior research engineer at Lockheed Martin Space Operations, was given the Marie Marvingt Award.
-- Tarah Castleberry, D.O., former NASA flight surgeon, received the Eric Liljencrantz Award.
-- Ashot Sargysan, M.D., international medical liaison, was awarded the NASA Flight Surgeon Citation Award.
-- Mary VanBaalen, serving with lifetime surveillance for astronaut health, received the W. Randolph Lovelace II Award.
-- Jim Vanderploeg, M.D., former NASA flight surgeon, was given the SMA Lifetime Achievement Award.
-- Mike Barratt, M.D., veteran astronaut handler of medical issues and on-orbit support in International Space Station operations, was honored with the SMA President’s Award.
-- Duane Pierson, Ph.D., senior microbiologist emeritus, received the Sidney D. Leverett Jr. Environmental Science Award.
-- Moriah Thompson, M.D., former Pathways intern who is currently a resident in aerospace medicine at UTMB in Galveston, was awarded the Jeffrey R. Davis Aerospace Medicine Endowed Scholarship.
-- Sean Roden, M.D., Sharmi Watkins, M.D., and Alex Garbino, M.D., medical officers and aerospace medicine residents, were all recognized as AsMA Fellows.

For more information about HH&P, click here.

To learn more about the AsMA, visit: https://www.asma.org/