Doctors look to the stars in globally unique ‘Humans in Space’ university medical course
Space doctor John Cherry is on a mission to keep humans safe, wherever they are in the solar system.
Tasmania
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Space doctor John Cherry is on a mission to keep humans safe, wherever they are in the solar system.
The astrophysicist, helicopter pilot, and University of Tasmania senior lecturer, Dr Cherry is helping host a three-day course in Hobart designed to provide health professionals with a better understanding of human aeronautics and space flight.
Dr Cherry said the Humans in Space unit, delivered by the UTAS School of Medicine in collaboration with the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine, was a globally unique program that examined the medical challenge of supporting human life in space.
“As global efforts continue to work towards returning astronauts to the surface of the moon, Hobart plays a key role in developing training protocols for medical emergencies in space,” Dr Cherry said.
“The Humans in Space course looks at the physiological, medical and psycho-sociological issues which are unique to space flight and planetary exploration.
“We’re relatively isolated from the rest of Australia where we sit here in Hobart, but we are really punching above our weight and have a lot that we should be proud of.”
Dr Cherry said course participants would hear from aerospace medical specialists, as well as Australia’s first female astronaut, Katherine Bennell-Pegg.
Dr Cherry described Ms Bennell-Pegg as the ultimate ambassador in the field of human space flight.
“Katherine is an eloquent speaker, highly accomplished, and to have someone who has recently graduated from astronaut training at the European Space Agency involved in our course is just fantastic,” he said.
“And it’s fantastic to provide course participants with access to people who are actively working at the coalface of human spaceflight, and it opens the door for opportunities going forward.
“We’ve had people who’ve done this course previously who’ve gone on to do incredible things within the human spaceflight field.
“So this really is a wonderful stepping stone for people to who are interested in a career in human space to begin that process.”
Humans in Space forms part of the university’s Health Care in Remote and Extreme Environments course, focuses on space environment, the medical support required for deep-space exploration, advances in space suit design, and space tourism.
“This course is unique in Australia and is made possible through our strong Tasmanian relationship with the Antarctic, our partnerships with the Australian Antarctic Division, the Tasmanian Health Service and the Australasian Society of Aerospace Medicine,” School of Medicine head, Dr Ruth Kearon, said.
“By working with our partners both within Tasmania and from around the world, we are able to provide training that supports humans in space flight.”
The Humans in Space course will run until August 7.
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